Fluttering
by fat1236
Summary: When Felicity is transported to Narnia, she discovers she has magic, but magic is banned! Soon she is running from everyone, until the law and High King Peter catch up with her. But Felicity doesn't cope well with pain... Peter/OC
1. Magic Can Be Dangerous

_A/N: Ok so this is the beginning to a new story. It's Peter/OC and I hope you all like it! I don't know where this is going to end up, I just sort of, thought of it a few days ago and now I need to think of the rest of it! Please read and review, it makes me happy ___

Felicity was seventeen years old and getting more beautiful by the day.

Five days ago, she had been transported to Narnia and on arrival, she had accidently discovered she had magic while trying to defend herself from a strange man who had shown too much interest in her, and now she was on the run from the police, the Guard and...just about everyone! She'd discovered by listening to peoples conversations that magic had been banned from Narnia a few years ago once someone called the "White Witch" had been defeated and though Felicity had discovered hers by accident and had no conspiracy against a "High King Peter", she knew that this wasn't how those searching for her saw it.

_*Flashback*_

_Felicity crouched behind a cart full of hay, where she'd slept, listening to the raised voice._

"_Where is she? We're not leaving until we've found her and brought her before the King! Have you seen her?" _

_Felicity could only guess that he'd stopped a random person walking in the street as they stuttered a reply._

"_Do you know what the punishment is for withholding information?" The guard bellowed at the poor person._

"_Conspiracy against the High King is punishable by death!" He snarled._

_Felicity turned and ran down the nearest alley, bent double so she wouldn't be seen._

_*End Of Flashback*_

After the initial shock, she'd spent her time hiding, spending nights curled up at tree bases and fluttering from one wood to the next, she'd only today ventured back into a town, hoping everyone had forgotten about her in the few days that had passed. She'd paid to go into the baths with some money she'd found on the floor and while sitting relaxing heard many other conversations.

"They say she's a vampire and-"

"They're going to kill her-"

"I heard even the Kings have joined in the search!"

"-Won't let my children out after eight-"

"Dresses like a barbarian! All her legs on show-"

She'd cleaned herself up and walked quickly from the baths, hoping nobody would look at her too closely.

She sighed as she thought how unfair it was for everyone to be searching for her so that she could be sentenced to death for something she couldn't control.

"_If I could control my magic, I could get out of here and back home!" _She thought glumly.

She stepped out of the small alley and into a slightly bigger one that lead to the food market.

Her hair was pinned away from her face with a red flower clip that matched her dress and high heels. Back in England, it had been July and she was about to go round a friend's house for a sleepover.

She had her small hand-bag style bag slung over her shoulder and in it had her toothbrush, pyjamas, a pocket mirror, two types of mascara, black eye-liner, foundation, lip gloss and lipstick that were all in her make-up case that went everywhere with her, a hairbrush, three packets of sweets and a change of clothes.

She had originally been wearing shorts and a tank top but had changed them after her trip to the baths as they grew grubby and every other female she encountered was wearing a long dress and looked at her astoundedly as they saw her bare legs.

"_People are still looking at me weirdly!"_ She thought. Her dress was low cut with spaghetti straps and finished just above her knees, showing more flesh then every other woman's and making her still stand out.

At first she'd managed to survive on the three packets of sweets as she had no money to pay for real food. After a while she'd thought of stealing, but she'd rather go hungry then cause someone else to lose out on their money or food, as a result she was constantly hungry and now felt a lot weaker then she had originally.

She started to walk left before stopping and staring at the man walking towards her. He was a member of The Royal Guard. She recognized his clothes from those of the men who patrolled the street.

She spun around, putting a hand to the wall to steady herself at the dizziness from her lack of food and ran as quickly as her high heels would allow her, hearing his booted feet coming from behind her. She knew she couldn't outrun him and glanced behind her, he was still several meters away. She looked forward again and saw someone with dark hair and clad in expensive clothes walking towards her, his brown eyes fixed on her.

She threw her bag off her shoulder, after all her life was worth more than the bag and its contents.

There was an intersection between them so she ran forward faster, panic aiding her and she felt a wave of relief as she reached the intersection several feet before him.

She threw herself down the alley on her right and caught the walls of the neighbouring houses to stop herself as a third man also clad in guard uniform regarded her warily.

With a gasp she whirled around and threw herself down the only remaining alley, sliding to a stop as she saw another well dressed man guarding her last escape.

She swore, stamping her foot in frustration.

She whirled back around, the first three men had joined at the crossroads and were walking towards her. She looked behind her, he hadn't moved and stood watching her, arms crossed over his chest.

She looked at the walls, too steep and high for her to climb when she had so little strength.

The wall behind the three men exploded, the stones nearly hitting them as her uncontrollable magic responded to her panic.

They turned calculating eyes on Felicity and she backed away, shaking her head slightly, scared they would think she was attacking them.

She turned and ran towards the fourth man, he was the tallest and most muscular looking, but she'd rather take her chances with him then with the three other men. He moved to block her path, arms outstretched and she ducked underneath his right arm, hoping to dodge him, but as she slipped past, his hand closed on her left wrist and tugged her back around.

She turned with a slight scream.

"No! Let me go! Please! Please let me go!" She begged him frantically, her heels skidding over the ground and she struggled to gain her balance and freedom.

She tried to pull her wrist out of his grasp, but she was only 5ft 4, and he was over 6ft. As she used her right hand to try and pulled his hand of her left wrist he simply caught her left wrist as well and pulled her past him towards the three remaining men.

She panicked as she felt their hands on her shoulders and they pushed her back firmly against a wall, forming a semi-circle around her.

She looked at them all, the two well-dressed men stood on her left and the two Guards on her right.

The wall behind them and slightly to her left exploded and she screamed, the men all turning to look at it.

She saw her chance and tried to slip past the man on her far left, but he turned in time and caught her shoulders, pushing her back against the wall with no difficulty, despite the resistance she tried to put up as she weakened.

She looked at him with wide, fear-filled eyes as she gasped for breath, the air around then full of dust.

"Do not fear us Felicity, we are not going to harm you." He said slowly.

Another wall nearby exploded and she cried out as a small part of brick hit the wall near her head.

"Stop fighting us! You will hurt yourself as well as others!"

Cracks formed on the floor as though they were standing on dry mud instead of concrete. The Guards jumped away, cursing and looking at her warily.

She closed her eyes, trying to stop doing the magic, but she couldn't, it was flowing out of her like a great river.

She shook her head hopelessly.

"Pete, I don't think she can stop."

"Then we'll just have to wait until she does! She looks exhausted anyway, she won't be able to last out much longer if she's eaten as little as I think."

The five stood there a few minutes as the walls around them exploded, waiting for Felicity to tire.

Finally the girl's eyes fluttered open and she observed the rubble surrounding them and "Pete" still standing in front of her.

She blinked slowly before passing out, not aware of him catching her and carrying her away over all of the demolished houses.


	2. Food Is An Important Thing

_A/N: Just a couple of things I forgot to mention in the last chapter. Peter is 19 and Felicity is 17, along with Edmund. Susan is 18 and Lucy is 16. Just a little question that's been bugging me...I've had loads of e-mails saying people have added this to their favourite story list, and it's had loads of views and hits and stuff so...why don't I have any reviews????? When I don't get reviews I just assume people don't like the story, so I stop writing. Just a little fact there :P _

Felicity woke up feeling much warmer and more comfortable than she remembered feeling in a long time.

"King Peter, King Edmund, the refreshments for the young lady." She heard someone say, their hooves clopping gently on the floor before a door closed.

"I think she's awake" said a deep voice that made her remember all that had happened.

Memories of talking animals, Guards, Kings and exploding buildings all came flooding back to her at once.

She opened her eyes and blinked quickly several times.

The blonde King Peter was sitting in a chair, leaning forwards and watching her, inches from the bed, while the brunette King Edmund standing by his side and looking out of the window.

Felicity jumped up and scrambled out of the vast bed in a flurry of movement until she stood on the other side, looking from one to the other wildly. She pitched forwards slightly and grabbed one of the beds posters to hold herself upright as her weakness became apparent.

Peter stood slowly, trying not to frighten her.

"Good morning Felicity."

Her gaze flickered between the door, the window and the two men.

"We had some breakfast brought up for you." He indicated a tray set with fruit, sandwiches and a goblet of something.

"_Poisoned". _She thought at exactly the same moment her stomach decided to growl. She narrowed her eyes slightly as the two Kings struggled to hide their smiles before slowly inching forwards, towards King Peter, stopping when her shins touched the bed frame between them.

He picked up the tray and offered it to her across the bed. She hesitantly raised her arm, jerking her hand back before her fingers could close on the elaborate tray as though she expected him to do something.

When he simply stood there, she reached for the tray again, grasping it in first one hand, then both as he let go and the tray wobbled dangerously in her slim hand.

She retreated to the wall behind her like a frightened deer. She put the tray down and cautiously ate an apple and smiling at its delicious taste before looking at the two men suspiciously. She'd never tasted fruit so good, which could mean they'd done something to it, put some kind of drug or poison in it.

King Edmund noted her uncertainty and suspicious gaze. "We've done nothing to it." He said, his lips tightening slightly at the comic thought of what Queen Lucy's face would be like if they had.

She inspected the apple before taking another small bite.

"Where are you from?" Asked Peter pleasantly. She looked at him with her big almond eyes. "Oh, we brought your bag with us." Her gaze flitted to her bag once before she looked back at the King, taking another bite of the apple.

He subconsciously began to step around the bed to get to her. "Felicity we-" He stopped walking and talking when he noticed her taking as many steps back as he was taking forwards. He bit his lip as he reprimanded himself. "We would like you to stay here a while." He told her, hoping to gain a response from her lips. Her mouth didn't move, however her eyes did. They widened considerably and she took another step away from the two Kings.

Peter and Edmund watched her. They were all too aware of how powerful magic could be, and hoped they'd be able to explain to her what was going to happen to her and tell her of her future, but this girl refused to talk to them.

She looked at the bed; it had a large throw over the top of it. She looked quickly between the bed, King Edmund, King Peter and the door before looking back at the bed. Making a split second decision she jumped onto the bed, pulling the throw up and chucking it at the two men, hoping they'd get caught up in it while she escaped, but she still had little strength, so what would normally have been an accurate shot fell short, making it end up just on King Peter, not King Edmund as well. She jumped down from the bed and sprinted as fast as she could to the door, only to be stopped sharply as King Edmund wrapped one arm around her upper arms and the other around her hips, trapping her arms to her sides as he restrained her, swirling them around to face King Peter who'd just pulled the throw of his face, looking quite young with his hair tousled and his crown at an angle.

She was panting again and as her short adrenaline rush came to an end she unwillingly sagged against the dark King. She felt him shift himself slightly so she could lean on his arms with no great discomfort.

"Felicity. Do you know why you're here?" Peter asked, looking into her wild, fear-filled eyes.

He could see she was physically shaking from fear.

"To kill me." She barely whispered, her voice shaking and lips trembling.

Peter sighed. He thought it sad that the first time he'd heard her voice it had been full of fear. "No. When I said we would not harm you I meant it, we never meant you any harm and have made sure everyone knows this."

She just blinked at him, still trembling.

He looked at Edmund, towering over her. "Release her."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." said Edmund in alarm.

"Ed!"

Edmund slowly unwrapped his arms from around her, but this proved to be as much of a mistake as Edmund had feared. She leaned forwards and could've cracked her head open on the bedside table, had it not been for Edmund catching her and pulling her upright in time. She braced her muscles and when he released her again she only swayed on the spot slightly before drawing every scrap of energy she had left together and turning to run out the door. She realised Edmund was standing in front of it so she tottered instead to the furthest corner of the room, using the four-poster bed as support, slumping down the wall to the floor as soon as she could, leaning her head against the wall exhaustedly, thinking that she'd obviously need more than one apple before she had enough energy to move properly again.

Peter sighed again and slowly walked over to her.

She huddled into herself as he approached. He offered her his hand and she stared at it as though it was a wild animal she'd never seen before, shrinking away from him.

He crouched down until he was at her level.

"What is it going to take for you to trust me?" He asked her quietly.

Her eyes were still wide.

"A lot more then you're doing now." She whispered.

He gave a crooked smile at her defiance and stood up, retrieving the tray of food. "Eat it; you need to regain your strength. Well we'll leave you for now. We'll be back in a few hours to see how you're doing."

The two men walked out, King Peter with many glances over his shoulder at the frail girl. Felicity sat a moment before taking up a cheese sandwich, wolfing it down, following it with three more, another apple and a swig of wine from the goblet.

She was thinking of ways to escape, the Kings had been friendly enough, but in England, you couldn't always trust someone because they were good looking in a dark or light way, and you couldn't always rely on first impressions either. This was why she didn't trust King Peter's assurances that they weren't going to kill her. She stood slowly, expecting her legs to give way any second, when they didn't she smiled, straightening her slightly crumpled sundress and looked over to the window with a hopeful glint in her eyes.


	3. Sad Eyes Can Help You Escape

_A/N : Ok so here's chapter three :) _

_I wasn't really sure what to write for this chapter so I settled for something safe but I hope you all like it anyway._

_I would like to thank my lovely reviewers for their wonderful comments :)_

"Well we did expect some resistance." Edmund told his frustrated brother.

"Yes I know! But why won't she trust us? Surely she doesn't still think we're going to kill her? If we wanted to we could've done so as soon as we saw her!" Peter ranted, exasperated and upset by how afraid she had been of the two men.

"Peter, you forget that she has only heard town gossip, and everyone is saying how we want to kill her! And the way some of the guards have been acting while searching for her would prove to her that we do want her dead! Especially Casper Harris...I heard he's been really unpleasant to some villagers in the South."

"Well she has no reason to fear us!"

Edmund watched his brother from the corner of his eye, being his usual observant self. "Why do you care how she feels about us so much Pete?"

"I don't! I just don't particularly like people being scared of me!"

"Especially beautiful girls with very big eyes."

Peter's head snapped up as Edmund stated this fact.

"I...hadn't noticed..."

Edmund rolled his eyes as Peter stopped walking.

"Hey...isn't that her...?"

Peter was pointing out of the window to his right through which Edmund could also see Felicity slowly climbing down the wall from the window of the guest room they'd put her in.

Peter jogged off, slowing down and creeping lightly up to the base of the wall she was descending as he neared her so she wouldn't hear him. He nearly gave himself away as he trod on one of her shoes that she'd thrown down so she could climb in bare feet and have a better grip.

She jumped down the last few inches and he heard her let out a breath of relief before she turned around and screamed loudly as he scared her.

"Going somewhere?" He asked with a smirk.

Felicity did the only thing she could think of. She knew just by looking at him that she couldn't over-power him or outrun him so instead she resorted to a light form of her flirting. What her friends back in England called her puppy-dog face. Her eye-brows went up slightly while her eyes widened considerably as she tried to look as sad as possible, staring into his eyes.

Hazel to blue. Almond to circular.

Peter own eyes widened in response and he could feel himself slipping. She looked so sad. He hadn't even noticed the rest of her face as her eyes grew bigger, engulfing him in them. Her pupils diluted and seemed to draw him in. He noticed the little flecks in her irises and tried to mentally shake himself, force himself to look away before he did something he's regret.

Felicity herself was finding it hard to look away from Peter's eyes. They were a bright, enchanting blue and she had to remind herself that it was her life she was fighting for. Her feet rediscovered themselves and she inched around him, not breaking eye contact. But for every step she took away he subconsciously took a step towards her, not wanting to lose sight of her eyes and feeling the urge to be near her.

"What on earth-" Edmund muttered as he folded his arms and watched the two across the grass.

Felicity finally looked away, searching for somewhere to run but she felt something around her waist and then felt herself sailing through the air, finally landing slung over the King's shoulder as he carried her, protesting loudly back to her room.

He blinked his eyes quickly several times as though to clear them.

"What do you want from me?" She demanded angrily as he set her down in her room.

He was grinning cheekily at her. _"Insufferable boy-man." _She thought to herself.

"I want you to trust me." He replied, throwing her into confusion.

"Pardon?"

"I want you to trust me."

"I- Why?" She stammered.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Does it come as that much of a shock? I only told you that about ten minutes ago."

"Well yes but I- is that all you want? Will you be happy if I trust you?" She asked him wonderingly.

"Yes." He said sincerely, noticing that as her anger faded she seemed to remember who he was and backed away.

"Well then I hope you like being unhappy." She told him with a raised eye-brow.

He laughed loudly at her words, shaking his head slightly at her. "What do I have to do to make you trust me? Because actually I don't enjoy being miserable."

"I don't know." She shrugged off-handedly.

Now it was his turn to raise his eye-brow at her before he walked out of the door.

He shut the door behind him and turned the key before leaning against the door. Pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger he cursed himself for his performance earlier.

"They were just eyes!" He berated himself, unaware that Felicity was leaning on the other side of the door, running her hands through her hair.

"They were just eyes!" She told herself at the same time as Peter.


	4. Long Dresses Are Dangerous For Kings

_A/N : It's only a short one, but I've been really busy with exams and shizzle so I haven't really had time to write anything. Plus, I am getting really fed up of getting so few reviews!! If I'm getting so many e-mails saying people had added this to their favourites list and I know this had had loads of views, why is no-one reviewing??? Please review or I start to lose interest in writing it!!!_

It was Felicity's third day at Cair Paravel and she was only now out of the bed for the first time, having recovered most of her strength and slept almost non-stop. Peter whistled to himself as came up to her room, intending to tell her that he would be away on business and warn her that Edmund would now be making sure she couldn't escape.

Felicity held up the beautiful blue dress Queen Susan had given her and regarded the beautiful long skirt doubtfully. "It's so gorgeous, but what's the point in having legs that everyone compliments if they're going to be covered up?" She wondered aloud to herself. "I think I'll just stay in this one for today." She decided, hanging the blue dress back up.

Peter took a deep breath and tried to steel himself, confident that he wouldn't let himself fall under her gaze again.

She heard a knock at her door.

"Are you decent Felicity?" Came a voice suspiciously like the High Kings.

"Yes." She called back.

She heard a lock click in the door and rolled her eyes. She was fed up of being locked in.

Peter walked in the door and did a double take as he saw her.

"Oh Aslan I-" He half turned towards the door, flinging an arm out and then using it to cover his eyes. "Felicity I- I'm sorry- You said you were decent!" He accused as he turned to face the door, his eyes covered.

She looked at him in confusion, wondering if all Kings acted like this.

"I am decent!"

"You're in your underclothes!" He bellowed at her.

"Am I??" She looked down at her attire.

She wore a thin white dress that came down to her knees, had long sleeves and had a wide, square cut neck. It was close fitting so that other clothes could be worn over it and was quite flattering on her and she'd rather wear that instead of the floor length gown she'd just had in her hands!

"Well someone could've told me! And I prefer it to those long dresses anyway! In fact...I think I'll just wear this!"

She had always been a-spur-of-the-moment girl and so saying, she marched straight out of her room, past King Peter who was still standing there with his arm over his eyes and into the corridor.

A faun carrying a tray of food stopped and dropped the tray, covering his eyes with his hands. Felicity gave a snort of laughter before Peter, red-faced from embarrassment ushered her back into her room, trying to keep his eyes of what was, in his opinion, a barely concealed body and not at all sure where to put his hands as he propelled her through the doorway.

"Darn it." Felicity muttered as she realised she had just missed a valuable opportunity to escape.


	5. Running Away Has Consequences

_A/N: Ok so here's the next chapter. _

_Sorry it's taken so long but I've only just finished my exams, and it was my 16__th__ birthday, and I had a wedding in the Lake District to go to so all in all I've been rather busy. _

_Anyway, I've tried to make this a nice long chapter with some Peter Felicity action. Joy for all you romance lovers out there :D_

Having spent a week at Cair Paravel Felicity was still trying to escape at every chance she got. She'd knocked out a Faun who came to bring her food before trying to run out through the castle, bumping into Edmund and being led back to her room. She'd disguised herself as an old woman in a cloak and tried to creep out and generally made a run for it whenever she could.

The royals had been friendly towards her, and if it weren't for the fact that she was a prisoner, she would've been very happy at Cair Paravel.

When Peter returned from Archenland four days later it was night time and he decided to take a walk in the nearby woods before having dinner with his siblings.

He pushed aside some branches and sighed loudly as he yet again thought of Felicity. The young woman had been in his mind the whole time he was in Archenland, and as a result he hadn't obtained the exact business result he'd hoped for. Edmund had told him about her attempts at escape while he'd been away and it had finally dawned on him that they'd caused her a lot of anxiety and fear while they'd been looking for her. He ran a hand through his hair as he remembered her big eyes that seemed very intent on swallowing him up whole every time he looked into them.

He'd dropped in to see her before coming out, but she had been asleep and he was unwilling to wake her when she looked so much more relaxed then when he had last seen her. He knew that he'd allowed his eyes to linger too long on her sleeping form, longer then was deemed polite and longer then he would've liked. He knew it was shallow to go on looks, but he couldn't take his eyes of her and had to fight his instinct to sweep her up into his arms every time he saw her. He remembered how light she had been to carry and wondered how long she had gone without a proper meal when they had at last cornered her.

He froze as he heard light running and heavy breathing. The person stopped moving, but he could still hear them breathing on the other side of the tree. He peered round cautiously, wishing he'd had the sense to bring his sword, finally catching sight of Felicity, bent double to retrieve her breath.

A twig crunched under Peter's foot and he held his breath as she whirled to peer through the dark in his direction with a small gasp as she realised someone was watching her before jogging on as fast as she could.

Peter followed her silently, thankful that her own footsteps muffled the sound of his following ones.

She stopped at the top of a slight hill, her breath catching in her throat as an owl hooted nearby and muttered "Idiot" to herself as she realised what it was.

She had no time to scream as someone collided with her, sending them both rolling down the hillside, their bodies seeming to get mixed with each other until they were a mass of arms and legs.

The pair came to a stop near the bottom of the slope and before Felicity could blink she found that she could barely move. The persons dark shape loomed above her, their hands were pinning her wrists to the floor above her head and their legs straddled her hips, trapping her underneath them. She wriggled and struggled a few moments, but they were too heavy and too strong for her to throw off.

She could make out tousled hair that shone silvery in the moonlight. She recognized the shape of face, after all, she'd seen him watching her just a few hours previously when he'd thought she was asleep.

Peter hadn't meant to crash into her, he'd tripped over a tree root and was now improvising. Well, trying to improvise anyway.

Her slender hips fit perfectly between his legs and he didn't even have to try and restrain her as she struggled.

He quickly tried to dispel any un-kingly thoughts from his brain as she rubbed against him in her struggling, his muscles flexing in effort.

Both were panting, Felicity more than Peter but, he was having to hold his breath as she struggled and was soon panting as much as her.

He looked at the struggling form below him, the moonlight shone off her lips attractively and before his brain could process what he was thinking, he kissed her.

Felicity was too shocked at first to do anything but she quickly forgot that as she found herself returning his kiss. It wasn't a gentle kiss, it was rough and passionate, causing the blood of both to boil and their minds to fog.

Her red dress had been cleaned and she wore it now as it was more practical for escaping in. It had ridden up slightly during their fall and now exposed one of her thighs. Peter used one of his hands to trap both of hers to the ground above her head and used the other to grab her smooth thigh, his large hand covering a large chunk of her slim thigh. Her breath caught in her throat as he gripped it tightly and broke away, gasping for breath.

The moon disappeared behind a cloud, rendering both practically blind and heightening the rest of their senses, making every touch ten times more effective.

Peters lips moved down her neck until she gave a moan as he hit her weak spot. He sucked on it gently and she moaned again between her pants.

He raised his head to her lips again and released her wrists so that he could instead circle his arms around her petit form, pressing them both together and flipping over so that she was on top of him and he wasn't crushing her.

He flipped them back over when she accidently rubbed against him again as she tried to kneel and straddle his hips as he had done to her.

She raised her head up "Stop!" She gasped.

He stopped immediately as his head unfogged as the scent of her faded slightly and he feared he'd hurt her. "Oh Aslan! I'm so sorry I-"

He blushed, just in time for the moon to come out and make it more obvious.

"Need...to...breathe...." She said between each pant.

Earning a breathless laugh from him.

"We better go back." He told her, easily pulling her up after him.

"Well...I..." She trailed of and he looked at her expectantly, her features clearer now his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light.

"Oh of course!" It finally dawned on him. "You were running away before!"

She looked at the floor, avoiding his gaze.

"You know...you don't need to keep trying to escape..." He told her hesitantly.

She darted a glance up at him before looking back at the ground.

"I would say that you can leave anytime, but I'm afraid that you can't because of your magic. But staying at Cair Paravel doesn't need to be unpleasant; you'll be treated like a guest..."

"But that's just it! I don't want to be a guest! I want to be treated like I'm home, and I want to go home, back to England!" She burst out.

Peter's face drained of colour. "You're from England?" He asked, shock evident on his face.

"Well I'm hardly local am I?!" She gestured to her clothes before turning from him and walking a few steps away, trying to subtly wipe her tears away, but he followed her and spun her around to face him.

"I mean...look at my clothes! Everyone must've thought I was a prostitute or something the way they were looking at me!"

"I'm from England to." He told her, gently wiping away a tear she'd missed, trying to avoid drowning in her big eyes, the irises reflecting the moon. "And what's a prostitute?"

She stared at him, eyes still watery. "Yeah right." She said disbelievingly. "You're not from England if you don't know what a prostitute is!"

"Well you'd have looked a bit strange in a dress so short in England too!" He sat down on the ground and pulled her with him, gathering her on his lap and ignoring her protests.

He held her securely and gradually felt her relax against him.

"How did you get here?" He asked gently.

"Through my wardrobe. I was looking for my jacket when I tripped and fell through and ended up in a wood. Then everyone stared at me because of my clothes and a man showed too much interest in me, so I tried to get him off but I couldn't and then he just...flew backwards and the next thing I knew I had guards running at me from all sides and I just panicked and ran and I...the guards were threatening people because of me and I..." She was babbling from relief at finally telling someone what had happened to her.

"Shhhh" he rocked her gently, used to comforting upset girls who just needed a hug. He'd learnt that from Lucy.

She smelt of oranges and cloves, reminding him of Christmas.

They sat like this for a while as Felicity calmed down.

"You know, if you stopped trying to run away you wouldn't be treated like a prisoner. I'm sure Lucy and Susan would love to dress you up in Narnian clothes and Edmund and I could teach you too fight..."

She smiled at him. "I'd like the clothes bit, but I've never been a very good fighter."

He looked at her thoughtfully, "Well we do need someone who can defend us magically in case we ever come up against an opponent who also has magical powers. I've been regretting the ban on magic ever since I made it. We've still got all the old books on it so you could learn from those. But you do need to learn how to fight normally."

"I'd like that." She said with a smile.


	6. Smugness After Discussions

_A/N : Hehe, I've had a few idea's for this story so hopefully now my updates will be quicker : )_

_However, they might not be...what's going on here?? I give you PeterxFelicity action and I only get one review!!!(thank you dancingqueensillystring)_

_Well, as usual you get the whole talk about how when I get less reviews I'm less motivated to write more and blah blah...you know the drill, so PLEASE review : )_

Felicity hurried to breakfast. Her hair still hung long and loose down her back, but she was now wearing a deep blue Narnian dress with gold trimmings around the sleeves, neck and hem.

She was concentrating on the book in front of her and several guards had to jump out of her way as she hurried along, knowing she didn't like to be disturbed while learning about magic.

"While casting some spells, a coloured glow may for around said person. This colour will reflect what kind of person they are." She muttered to herself, brow furrowed in concentration.

It had been two weeks since the night she'd tried to run away and so far she'd proven a quick learner of magic, and as useless at sword and other physical means of fighting as she'd said she would be.

She'd become friends with all four of the royal siblings and Edmund now frequently teased her about how she'd tried to escape, Susan and Lucy made her look beautiful everyday and Peter just...watched her. The two had shyly started courting after her attempted escape and although it was common knowledge in the castle, it had spread no further then its walls at the High King's request who wished to keep his private life private. They often spoke in private but rarely in public, instead Peter would keep a firm eye on her, as though he was scared she would try and escape again. But Felicity had no intention of trying to escape as she was liking Narnia more then England!

"Morning everyone!" She greeted the four brothers and sisters without looking up from her book as a Faun opened the door for her.

She walked over to Peter and, eyes still on her book managed to kiss the top of his head in greeting.

"Morning." Came four dull replies, causing her to look up at their solemn faces.

"What is it?" She asked in alarm.

"That fool Rabadash has declared a war because Susan won't marry him and Peter won't marry one of his sisters!" Edmund told her glumly.

"Oh." Was the only reply she could think of.

She sat down lightly next to Susan and Edmund, across from Peter.

"Wait a minute. A war?"

"Yup." Said Lucy sadly.

"There will be a meeting after breakfast to discuss tactics. I want you to be there Felicity. We need to discuss the use of your magic." Peter told her shortly.

"Ok." She said, not sure where to place her eyes.

The rest of the meal continued in silence with Felicity eating her apple very slowly so to avoid making too much noise as it crunched and reading her book, avoiding everyone's unhappy faces as they pushed their food around their plate or gave up trying to eat completely.

"Where will the meeting be?" She asked Peter, her voice loud in the unusually silent room, making everyone jump.

"In here." Edmund told her before The High King could answer.

She nodded and went back to being lost in her own thoughts.

"Everyone finished?" Peter asked a few moments later.

The four nodded among a clatter of knives and forks and Peter turned, asking one of the servant Fauns to show the war council in.

He returned moments later with an assortment of Centaurs, Dwarfs, Minotaurs, Big Cats and many other beasts. Felicity was still unused to the idea of talking animals and although she liked it, she frequently stared, especially at the creatures she'd only ever heard about in fairytales.

Each species had at least one representative to discuss their abilities with the royals and to relay information back to the rest of their population.

"Thank you all for coming." Peter started. "I'm sure you are all aware of the situation and as time is of the essence, I would like to start discussing tactics immediately. Oreius, what do you have for me?"

The great Centaur came forwards, bowed to everyone at the table before addressing the High King. "My King, the Calormen will be here in approximately three days if they travel across the desert swiftly. I propose we meet them by the edge of Archenland to prevent them travelling too far into Narnia."

Peter nodded in agreement.

"Now of Lady Felicity, I understand she can only control one element?"

"That's right. Only water." Felicity said loudly so all could hear.

"Then we would do better to meet them by the river as well so there is more for her to control."

Peter frowned. "This makes sense, but magic is tiring for her and she is not yet fully trained which could turn out badly for our own army. From what I understand, magic can be hard to control and she could accidently drown us!"

Felicity bristled. "I'm sure I can handle it just fine Peter." She told him slightly icily.

"Not if it makes you collapse like the last time." He told her levelly, making her anger build as he reminded her of when she had been out of control.

"And whose fault was that?" She hissed.

Peter's coolness was wearing thin and he glared at her as she openly blamed him in front of his subjects for something that he already knew was his fault.

"What Peter means is that we don't want to rely on your magic to win this war in case you're injured and incapable of doing it for a while." Edmund interjected, trying to dissolve the tense situation.

"I'm not going to let her be injured!" Said Peter indignantly.

Edmund shot him a look that clearly said, "Shutup!"

"Oh...right, yes that's what I meant." Peter corrected himself, backtracking quickly.

"Perhaps Lady Felicity is able to control the water in the air and ground as well, and therefore control those." Orieus said.

"I hadn't thought of that!" Felicity pondered, slightly excited. "Let's see!" She lifted her hands in front of her, palms open and after a few intense seconds; the air around the Narnian's grew steadily colder. Their breath came before them in puffs and several of the animals fluffed their fur to keep warm.

"Haha, I did it!" She cried.

"Smooth Felicity, now perhaps you could make it warm again?" Asked Edmund sarcastically.

"Oh, of course." She said with a smile, raising her hands again the room slowly warmed back up.

"Now it's a little hot..." Edmund hinted as she went too far.

"Tough." She told him, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Excellent! This will give us a huge advantage over the Calormene's!" Exclaimed Oreius, resulting in Felicity giving a smug smile.


	7. Magic Is So Helpful When You're At War

_Ok everyone I'm backkkk!!!!! _

_So, thank you everyone for your really nice 'get well' messages and everything. Just to update you all, my foot is healing and it's nearly out of the woods, although I won't be walking till about October. But, I did just hear that the cast should be coming of next week and then it's just bandages!!!! (for ages) Which has made me happy and that's why I'm doing another chapter of this story now! And, the scars on my face are going really, really quickly, they can almost be covered up by make-up now and the doctors say I'm practically healing double time, which is always encouraging lol. And I'm getting a side fringe cut in a couple of weeks to help hide them and then I can go shopping again!!!!! _

_So anyway, as usual, please review for me because it'll make me glow insideeeee. Enjoy!_

Felicity looked around her; she stood on top of a green hill on the border of Narnia, watching the approaching army with three of the royals and Oreius surrounding her.

She bit her lip anxiously, frowning at the same time as she battled with her emotions.

"Peter?" She asked, turning to her left to look at the High King. He certainly looked like a ruler instead of a very young adult now he was clad in full armour.

The war council had decided to send out the army as well as Felicity as she could only do magic for a short amount of time before she tired so much she lost conscious.

He looked at her questioningly.

"I don't know if I can do it." She whispered so that the other royals couldn't hear her. She could practically hear Ed teasing her for what she was saying, but she needed someone to be serious and help her in her dilemma for a second. "They're real people. Real people that are going to die. Because of me. I'm going to kill them." She told him, an unreadable emotion in her eyes.

He turned to her, gripping her shoulders gently in alarm. "Felicity, you can't think like that. You know the plan doesn't require you to kill where it's not needed and think of the countless innocent Narnian lives you will save by doing this..."

Her eyes bored into his as she processed his words, finally lowering her gaze.

"You're right. They're the ones who started this." She said more to herself then him, pulling herself together.

Peter gave a sad smile that she didn't see as he thought of how she would age before her time and lose all of her childish ways once she'd experienced a battle. Just as he, Susan and Edmund had. It was because of this that he would not let Lucy anywhere near wars, if only to keep her the way she was.

"My Lady, it is time." Oreius's voice interrupted her thoughts and for a moment, she felt the mad desire to laugh at the line she'd heard in so many films.

She raised her hands and, closing her eyes in concentration began to control the moisture in the air. She made it cold, so cold that a thin layer of ice formed on the surface of the river. Then she pushed her hands forward forcefully until the cold air was blown away from the Narnians towards the Calormene, gathering speed as it rushed away, sweeping a few Calormene off their feet and ripping the Calormene flags they carried.

The army was instantly thrown into disarray as the lighter Calormene soldiers crashed into others, knocking them over and creating chaos. Riders lost control of their horses as the dumb beasts panicked at the sudden change in temperature and ferocity of the wind. Swords froze in their holders and some even stuck to their owners hands.

Felicity stopped the wind, but the air around the Calormene stayed cold as she bent double, panting.

Edmund ran to her, a flask of cool water in one hand and the reigns to a chestnut horse in the other.

"Sit on Ara and save your strength." He urged her.

She mounted the horse and took several gulps from the flask, thanking him as she prepared herself for the next attack.

Fruit was brought over to her and she had to grin slightly as she thought of all the special treatment she was receiving for her gift. She swallowed a half full of grapes slowly while looking out and surveying the Caloremene. She had to time her next attack well, if she attacked to soon, her energy would be wasted for nothing.

The enemy had stopped approaching, but were not retreating either as their leader tried to sort everyone out. This wasn't working and was rather funny to watch for her seemed to be a rather vain and foolish man.

Finally their General took control and after about half an hour, had managed to calm the small army. The air around them was still cold and Felicity smiled to herself as she realised that she was a very good witch.

Putting her hands out in front of her she slowly curled them into fists, warming up the air as she did so until it became unbearably hot. Pushing her hands forwards as last time she sent the air towards the Calormene. They were relying on the army numbers being diminished by the heat wave and for the supplies to be ruined by the rapid change in temperature. It may have seemed like a pointless thing to do with her magic, but the Narnians were not bloodthirsty people. They did not want all of the Calormene dead, simply scared enough to scarper.

Felicity leaned over Ara's neck as she tried to catch her breath, Peter rushed to her side and placing his hands either side of her waist ensured she stayed on the horse.

"Thanks." She smiled at him as she tried to slow her heavy breathing. "I think this next one will take it out of me." She told him miserably.

He frowned and swung himself up on Ara behind her. He wrapped his arms securely around her waist. "Well you're not going to fall anyway." He said, a small grin gracing his features as he saw several of the supply wagons burst into flame from the heat.

Felicity drew in several deep breaths, taking another few swigs from the flask Edmund offered her.

"Ok." She whispered, steeling herself. "Here I go."

She held her hands out for the last time that afternoon, every muscle in them tensed. They shook for a moment before she started to turn them from the left to the right and underneath the Calormene the ground started to shake. Horses stumbled, wagons crashed into each other and men fell over. The ground started breaking up, cracking in several places. Several soldiers fell into the gaps while others had to jump out of the way, some clinging to the edge of ground before they fell.

One large crack formed between the two armies, growing and lengthening until it was several meters wide and stretched into the distance as far as the eye could see.

Felicity slumped backwards against Peter, unconscious and magically drained from all of her efforts.

"Ara, could you talk us back to Felicity and Susan's tent please?" He asked the horse, gripping it firmly with his thighs to stop himself falling off.

"Yes my King." Ara replied.


	8. What On Earth Are Chavs?

_Hey everyone! So, let me update you all again on my recovery. I CAN WALKKKKK (very slowly and with crutches), but still, it's a really big thing because it's only been 7 weeks and they didn't think I'd be able to walk until October so I have literally healed double time! And I'm getting a side-fringe cut on Tuesday to help hide the quickly-fading scars on my face so it's allllll good :D _

_Anyway, this chapter isn't one of my best (in my opinion) but please drop me a review, saying that you like/love/hate it and shizzle. Love you all! _

"What happened?" Felicity asked groggily once she was aware of her surroundings. She sat up, clutching her head as a bad headache made itself known.

"You passed out. The Calormene haven't attacked us yet, they're still recovering." Peter told her with a grin from a chair beside her couch.

"Oh...it's just as well I'm ready for more then." She told him with fake cheerfulness.

"Whatever." He replied with a roll of his eyes as he repeated something he'd picked up from her recently.

Felicity smiled and lay back down, automatically soothing her head slightly. "You know me so well." She muttered. "And you can't use that word! You're too old fashioned, it sounds silly with your accent!"

"Your accent is the same as mine!" He remarked.

"No it's not! You sound like you're from the early 1900's! Which you are..."

"And you sound as though you're from England! Which you are..."

"No, no, no, no, no! The way you sound reminds me of the way the boys in local private school sound!"

"But you told me that you went to a private school for girls! Surely they sound the same there, just with girl's voices!"

"Yes, but I'm not one of them. I had the best of both worlds."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means I went to a private school with posh people, but I had lots of friends from the local state schools that I hung around with in my spare time!"

"You make it sound as though they're common!"

"The chavs are!"

"The _what_?_"_

"Chavs...you know...they wear ridiculous clothing and their trousers round their ankles..."

"Trousers round their ankles??" He asked in astonishment, completely baffled.

"Oh never mind! I can't possibly explain the 2009 England too you!"

He gave her a crooked smile and leant forwards so his elbows rested on his knees. He'd taken some time out of possible battle planning to come and see her, leaving Ed and Oreius in charge.

"Why didn't you let Lucy come?"

He looked up quickly at the sound of her voice. He hadn't realised she was watching him.

"A battle isn't the place for someone like Lucy."

"Because she's so sweet?"

"Partly. And because she's too young."

"But she's only a year younger than me!" She retorted, her eyebrows drawn together as she frowned at him.

"Yes, but you have magic." He answered.

She looked at him for a moment as though considering something. "What's the real reason?" She finally asked.

"You know me too well." He said, repeating her words. She only gave a tight lipped smile in response and was not swayed from her question.

"Lu is too innocent. I may have only been fifteen when I was in my first battle, and Ed thirteen, but we had our childhood stolen from us. We're happy ruling here, but I want Lu to have all the childhood she can, and she's not fantastic at fighting anyway, she's not a warrior like Su, Father Christmas knew what he was doing when he gave her the Cordial. She's more likely to heal and help someone then to harm them."

Felicity considered his words for a moment before nodding in understanding. "I'm never going to be the same again once I've seen people die here am I?" She asked quietly, not looking at him.

"No." He told her after a pause. "You will be different, but that's why your here. So less people have to die. Think about that. You're saving the lives of thousands of creatures and Calormene alike who have families and friends they thought they'd never get to see again! You're doing the right thing."

She nodded again, still not looking at him.

"Get as much sleep as you can. I'll come wake you when we next need your powers." He told her, kissing her lightly on the lips before stroking her cheek and leaving her to rest.

"Be careful!" She said quietly, just a little too late as the tent flap closed behind him.


	9. Why Are Caloremene So Annoying?

_Here's another chapter!!! I know I'm bad because it's been a while, but I've been really busy! And, having spent my whole summer resting indoors, I get tired really easily now I'm in 6__th__ form, and I am really busy! Anyway, to update you all, I can now walk fully, and I'm hoping to go back to my dance classes by about October :D. Unfortunately, physio hasn't been able to get my big toe working, and I'm fed up of getting bruises from the electro-thing they use so I'll have to have a third operation :[. Anywayyyyy, please enjoy this chapter as it'll probably be the only one for a while... and REVIEW. Please. Love you all. _

"Ahh, what do we have here?" Someone drawled with a strange accent, waking Felicity up yet again. She opened her eyes at the unfamiliar voice and stared at the person for a moment before her brain woke up. She screamed and in a flurry of movement was out on the other side of the couch that had been brought especially for her so she could sleep well and regain her strength after using magic. Four Calormene stood there, three in normal armour and one in much more expensive looking armour. They all had beards and moustaches but the important looking one had a gold ring through one nostril. It stood out starkly against his dark skin as she stood there, quite unsure of what to do when Peter, Edmund, Susan and a random Guard came bounding in, responding to her scream. Only the guard was armed and everyone could see it would be pointless for him to attack.

"The young kings! And the young queen of course." Drawled the person in the fancy armour who Felicity decided must be their captain.

Peter opened his mouth to call out to more guards but the Calormene got there first. "Make a sound and the girl dies." He said as one of his comrades drew an arrow and pointed it firmly at her.

Felicity looked from Peter to the bow and arrow, unsure of what to do. She may have magic, but she was still weak and she didn't want to use it when there was a chance she'd die.

"What do you want?" Peter hissed, glaring at them.

"Prince Rabadash has sent us. He would like to know who your magician is and for us to either kill them, or for them to join us."

"We don't have a magician here." Peter said automatically.

The man gave a cheerless laugh. "Do not insult my intelligence by speaking to me as though I am a fool. Now, where is the magician?"

Noticing the jar of water for her by the couch she slowly put her hand to her side and tensed her fingers, wobbling her hand from side to side and gradually drawing it up as a thick column of water rose from the jar. No matter how high the column went, the jar never seemed to run out of water and Felicity smiled, finally looking towards the others in the tent.

Susan, Edmund and Peter of course were all smiling gleefully while the Calormene had not yet noticed. Save for the one with his arrow pointed at her. He seemed to have forgotten about his duty to threaten her and was instead staring at the water in horror, tapping the others arm rapidly with his hand.

Felicity began to shake uncontrollably as her energy was drained for the second time that day. She heated the water up until it was boiling hot. The steam rolled of it in waves as it moved under her shaking hands. With a surge, she pushed her hand forward and watched as the four Calormene were hit with the full force of the body of hot water she'd managed to pull from the jug.

They were blasted back against the tent's side as Felicity collapsed in a heap on the couch. Her body weight dragged her back of it and onto the floor next to it, her sheet falling after her and partially covering her. There were yells all around as the water burned the Calormene and as the tent collapsed from the strength of the hit, the pole from the centre of the tent clanged down against a table which promptly broke in two.

******

Peter grinned as he saw Felicity pull the water out of his jug. He noticed how much her hands were shaking and willed her energy to last long enough. But were they meant to shake that much? She looked confident, but as the seconds ticked by she grew increasingly tired looking. Her skin grew paler and for a moment she looked smaller, more fragile. The illusion was gone within milliseconds as her eyes narrowed slightly. He spared a glance at the Calormene as the water started to steam. They were all looking at it with open mouths as they witnessed the magic close-up.

In the blink of an eye, the water was gone and the tent was collapsing around and on-top of them.

Peter was knocked to the ground by the weight of the tent material, and he guessed that everyone else had been as well. He could hear the faint screams and cries of the four Calormene with their burned skin. "Guards!" Peter yelled, his voice muffled from underneath the tent material. He could hear nothing but his own breathing for a moment before something kicked him. "Ow!" He bellowed.

"Sorry." Came the seemingly distant reply.

"Ed?" Peter called out, wriggling across the grass towards the area where the kick and voice had come from. His brother grunted a reply and within seconds, Peter had come across Edmunds thigh.

"Where's Felicity?" He asked immediately.

"Near her couch I guess."

"Su?"

"On the other side of me."

"She ok?"

"Unconscious but breathing."

"Alright, you look after her. I'm going to try and find Felicity."

The barrage of questions were answered quickly by Edmund as the boys survival mode kicked in.

"Guards!!" Peter yelled again. He could hear faint sounds from above the tent but they didn't seem to be moving quickly enough. They needed to move faster so he could get to Felicity.

"Felicity?" He called out in case she hadn't fallen unconscious. When he received no reply he started wriggling of to his left in the vain hope that as he fell to the ground he fell straight so that she would still be to his left.

He encountered the fallen pole and broken table, glad that it hadn't fallen anywhere near them. He crawled over it, sweat beading on his brow from the heat the tent was keeping in and his antics.

The tent material rose up suddenly and he realised the couch was holding it up. Able to move more freely, he sped up and crouched beside the couch. Lifting part of the tent material he saw no-one was on the couch and ran around it, bent double until he came across Felicity. She was lying with the sheet where it had fallen on her. She was at a slightly odd angle and he knew she'd fallen. Checking her pulse, her skin was as damp as his head even though she hadn't moved. But at least she was alive. He was no expert when it came to magic, but he guessed that if you used too much magic the body would be completely drained of energy...and he knew from his biology classes back in school that the body needed energy for the organs to work. Making a decision, he told himself that she wouldn't use magic on the Calormene unless they were in dire need.


	10. Tears are Painful

_Ok, so I know I'm a bad person for taking so long to update but I've been really busy and hevn't been sleeping properly, and if I gave you a half-hearted chapter you'd all leave me!!!! This chapter isn't very long, but I hope you'll all like it, it's a bit of a jump from the last chapter, the battle's been going on for 3 weeks by now. I love you all!!!!! xxx_

"I Prince Rabadash of Calormen require High King Peter to marry my sister, Tarkheena Marcella. By doing so, I will cease attack and prevent countless lives from being needlessly lost."

Tarkeena Marcella. The name was unpleasant, like chalk scraping down a blackboard and making a horrific squealing noise.

Silence filled the tent, broken only by the rustling of parchment as Peter rolled the scroll up.

"I will accept this term." He said quietly.

At first those five words didn't make sense and Felicity had to repeated them to herself before their meaning became clear, and suddenly her world was falling away. She felt dizzy and the tent swam before her eyes, making her reach out for the thing nearest to her. Edmund. As her best friend aside from Peter he understood as she clutched his arm and let her use him as support.

"Peter, no. You are High King, much more important than me. I'll marry Rabadash."

Peter shook his head sadly. "No Su, I'm in the Parley. It reassures me to know that at least one of us will now be able to marry for love." With the last part of his sentence Peter glanced at Felicity, regret oozed from every inch of him as he looked at the beautiful girl he loved.

"But I-" One look from Peter and Susan fell silent.

"We'll leave you." Said Edmund as he gently unhooked Felicity's hand, grabbing Susan's arm and pulling her out behind him.

A moment of awkward silence filled the tent as Peter hesitantly approached her, looking into her devastated eyes. Their faces were not in the best condition. Both looked exceptionally tired, Peter from the physical fighting, and Felicity from the fighting she did with her magic. Peter had kept his promise and only let her use it in emergencies, but there were a lot of emergencies.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked quietly, her voice shaking.

Peter spoke slowly, putting all his feelings into the three words. "I love you." Tears formed in Felicity's eyes and Peter hated himself for what he was doing to her. Hated himself as he hurt her. "But I can't have you. I have to marry this woman to stop blood being needlessly shed."

"No." She whispered, biting her trembling lip. "No, please Peter, don't do this. I love you too, more then you could imagine. So please, you keep fighting for me, because I'm going to keep fighting for you." Her voice broke and her face was marked by the tears now falling. She grabbed the material at the front of his shirt, trapping it in her small fists and shook him gently as she spoke.

He closed his eyes, clenching his teeth to hold back his own tears.

He pulled her close, wishing he could do more to comfort her.

"Don't do this." She whispered almost inaudibly into his chest.

"I have to. For you." He mumbled, freely crying with her now, his tears falling into her hair.

They stood like that for an eternity, Felicity memorised everything about him, his scent, how safe she felt in his embrace and how his muscles rippled underneath her hands while Peter memorised how her smell reminded him of Christmas, how she fit perfectly into his embrace and how soft her hair was under his cheek.

They drew apart after what seemed to be no time at all and Peter looked down at her face, drawing it into his memory forever. But he couldn't, because she wouldn't look up at him. Her tears had stopped falling, but the track marks were still there and they marred her beauty with their sadness. He reached out to wipe them away and tilt her chin up, but stopped himself. He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes again and see the disappointment and hurt that he'd caused. He turned without a word and went outside to say goodbye to his family. He would return to Cair Paravel with his new wife in a few days to keep running Narnia, but he wouldn't be the same man.

Walking alone to the Calormene army he counted his footsteps so he wouldn't turn back and run safely to Felicity's arms. He was escorted to Rabadash's tent by four foot soldiers, no questions asked. He only spoke when the prince looked up. He slammed the scroll onto the table in front of him.

"I accept." He said sombrely, the only words he spoke for the next week.


	11. Running Away

_Ok, so I know I'm a really really really bad person for leaving you so long without another chapter! And I don't even have a good chapter to apologise with! This doesn't have any Peter-Felicity action but its essential to the story line…I've finally figured out what happens next! I would love to write down lots of chapters to keep you entertained but I'm afraid I have NO time. I'm supposed to be revising for exams right now but I'm not very good at revising so I'll leave it till later! Anyway, as always, please review because it makes me feel special to get comments from people and blah blah…enjoy! And I apologise again for not writing a chapter for 8 months!!!!!_

She was running.

Everything was silent around her, soldiers walking past made no noise and mouthed silent words, made silent noises. There was a thumping in her head that she was sure were her running feet, or her breathing, or her heartbeat. But she was trying not to remember what had just happened. And not remembering included not thinking.

The trees were coming closer. Closer and closer until she broke through them, her feet instinctively jumping over tree roots.

Everything around her was so bright. It was hurting her eyes. Hurting her head. She needed to get away to somewhere dark, somewhere she could think.

But she didn't want to think.

Why had he done it? Susan had said she'd marry Rabadash.

No. She pushed the thoughts from her mind determinedly. A squirrel ran across her path quickly, her foot narrowly missing its tail.

Why wasn't she tired? She'd never been a good runner in England and yet, she must've run miles in the last few minutes alone.

A branch whipped across her chest, tearing the thick strap over her shoulder. The material flopped around uselessly.

The trees ended. She'd run through a whole wood. Now endless fields stretched before her. A deer tried to engage in conversation with her about the lovely weather as she ran past, but she didn't even see it.

The grass was long, up to her hips in some places. But she didn't notice it. She saw nothing around her as Peter's face kept swimming before her eyes, shinning in her silent tears.

Was this what a broken heart felt like? She didn't know yet because she couldn't feel.

Why wasn't she tired? She'd already covered another two fields

Susan had said she'd marry Rabadash. Why had he done it?

Both of her shoes were gone. She hadn't noticed them flip off.

The hem of her dress was jagged. She caught it on a bramble now and it tore some more.

Another two fields covered. How long had she been running? It didn't matter. She needed to get far away.

She could never go back to the castle. Peter would live there with his new bride.

Was it possible to die of a broken heart? Was she already dead? Was that why she felt no pain? Why she had no difficulty breathing?

Another two fields were covered. She could see some more trees in the distance now.

Deer were the only creatures visible and they scattered out of her way. Everyone else was at the battle field, but deer were far to gentle to fight.

Why had he done it?

His face was back in her vision. Tears were still on her cheeks, but none fell from her eyes now.

Susan had said she'd marry Rabadash.

She was at the trees and now she could feel her chest tightening, her breathing becoming difficult.

The light through the leaves was darker then it had been in the previous wood. She'd been running for hours.

Exhausted, she finally collapsed in a little clearing of plain grass. She was panting heavily and she sobbed as she curled up, finally letting herself think properly, allowing the horrible thoughts to come swarming in.

The wedding was arranged quickly and held right there on the battlefield. It was a sombre affair for the attending Narnians, and a smug one for the Caloremene.

Peter did of course look dashing, though his appearance was unfinished as no smile was on his face.

Tarkeena Marcella was a pretty young woman, nothing compared to Felicity, but pretty enough in her own way. Just like Peter, she was unsmiling. This wasn't what she wanted, but she did what her father told her too.

Instead of mingling with the Caloremene, the Narnians stayed in little clumps, occasionally glancing darkly over at the Caloremene. They were uninterested in the wedding, concerned instead about the disappearance of Lady Felicity. Many had seen her running from the battlefield to the woods, but she hadn't been seen since then. Edmund had headed a search party, which followed her scent for a day, but the dogs had lost the trail at a stream and the party had returned alone. Every now and then a Narnian from one group would cross over to another to make sure everyone knew all of the information.

The Narnians muttering could be heard constantly, with many voices sympathising with Felicity.

"Poor dear must've-"

"Ran west for hours-"

"-hasn't been seen anywhere-"

"Such a shame-"

Peter tried to block out the voices, he done the right thing and he knew it. His sacrifice was for the greater good.

They'd all thank him one day.


	12. Starting A New Life

_Right so it's been a full 3 months and I figured I should take time out of my life to give you all another chapter! Obviously there's no Peter-Felicity action in this chapter because she's just run away, but this the plot developing and shizzle...I like to think that I have successfully come up with possibly my best story line ever...however I have just had a quick scan of my first few chapters and I apologise for how bad it is! But here's the next chapter (I like to think my writing skills have developed...) as always please review because other people see the number of reviews I have and the more there are, the more likely people are going to read my story! Oh and check out my other Narnia fanfiction "I Couldn't Leave Her" (that is if you haven't already...) Thanks everyone! _

Exactly two months later Felicity was in the far west. Having lain in the clearing for a day she had finally been found by a friendly bear named Caramel who had taken her in and forced her to eat soup and honey on toast. Once she'd coaxed Felicity's story out of her, Caramel had kindly given her some money she'd found whilst hunting in the forest one day as she herself had no need for it. Since then Felicity had walked every day in the hope of putting as much distance between herself and Peter, stopping only to eat and sleep in cheap taverns. She had avoided Calormen completely, adding an extra week to her travelling as she skirted the edge of it before finally reaching Gardania. The land was small in comparison to such places as Archenland, but its society functioned in much the same way as the human population of Narnia had and Felicity quickly brought herself a new dress and found accommodation for the night.

"Excuse me." She said politely to the taverns owner as he brought her a bowl of soup that night. "I'm new in town and have very little money, do you know of somewhere I could get a job and somewhere to live?" She looked at him hopefully, glad that his face was relatively kind, if not a little shrewd.

"Nice lookin' girl like you," he said gruffly, "jus' happens to be a job up at the palace."

"Doing what exactly?" She asked, smiling at him as she realised how ungrateful she sounded.

"I dunno, I jus' get told when there's a vacancy. It's a live-in job."

"Thank you for your help." She said, pressing a bronze piece into his hand as thanks.

He grunted in reply, "keep goin' left out of here and you'll get to the palace."

She thanked him again and ordered another bowl of soup as one definitely wasn't going to be enough. Noticing a beefy man across the bar staring at her, and the one beside him, and the thin man beyond them, she started to eat quickly, unwilling to attract further male attention.

The next morning Felicity stood outside the palace gates, freshly clean from the bath house. Was she supposed to just walk in and ask the first person she met to point her in the right direction? Deciding that this was the only option if she wanted to progress, she walked up to one of the guards and asked where she should go for the job application. He looked her up and down slowly and leered at her before pointing her in the direction of a large wooden door to the right of the main entrance.

She knocked loudly on the door and walked boldly in, remembering all of the talks she'd had in England about how appearing to have confidence can get you far in life. Just inside the door stood a young man speaking to a beautiful young woman; both turned to look at Felicity at the same moment and paused in their conversation. The closeness of the pair made Felicity realise what had been bothering her about the people of Gardania. They were all blonde. They all had blonde hair, pale skin, grey eyes and many of them looked weak and insipid. It seemed to be hereditary in this country and she realised exactly how much she must stick out.

"I'm here for the job application." Felicity announced to them, swishing her own dark hair over her shoulder. They both stared at her in surprise for another minute before the man's face broke into a cheshire cat smile. Turning to the blonde girl he spoke in a clipped and professional tone.

"You're services will no longer be needed. The position has been filled."

Her mouth opened in amazement and annoyance as he turned away from her and beckoned Felicity forward, "You're absolutely perfect for the job, come this way please."

Felicity followed him quickly, avoiding the eyes of the now glaring other girl.

"So what actually is this job?" She asked as she trotted after the man, trying to keep up.

He remained silent and moments later, they stopped at two large, grand doors with two guards standing to attention outside. One of the guards knocked and then pulled open one of the doors, ushering them both inside. Felicity kept her head down as she entered, aware of the guard's stares.

The room was large and lavishly furnished. At a desk sat a young man in his late twenties, and – like every other Gardanian – he had blonde hair and grey eyes. He jumped up in joy as he saw Felicity, causing her to take a step back involuntarily as he bounded towards them. "Splendid Jonathan!" He cried. "By Jove, she's perfect! And so exotic-looking! They'll be so happy someone like this is speaking to them they won't even realise what she's asking them!" He gave a guffaw of laughter, oblivious to Felicity cringing away from him slightly as at this point she was seriously regretting her decision to apply for this job. So far, she didn't even know what the job included and this man's exuberance was starting to scare her.

"Do please turn around." He said to her. She stared at him blankly. Was he speaking to her? Did he think she was some kind of clothing model that would just spin on command?

"She does not yet know what the job is your majesty." Jonathan suddenly said solemnly.

Ah, so this was the King of Gardania.

"Really?" He asked, looking at Felicity with a new kind of disbelief.

"I thought that you would be better at putting it delicately your majesty." Jonathan said, pausing before saying "delicately".

"Oh, but of course!" The King turned and sat back down at his desk, gesturing for Jonathan to fetch another chair from a different corner of the room. Jonathan brought over the plush chair and put it on the other side of the desk, pulling it out slightly for Felicity to sit in.

"Now my dear, what is your name?"

Felicity instinctively knew not to say her real name. "Lolita." She said after a slight pause. She had read the book by Vladimir Nabokov back in England as background reading as it had been suggested by her psychology teacher as insight into the mind of what society considered a criminal.

"Absolutely beautiful! You see my dear Lolita, Gardania is only small, so evidently we have to be very careful of attack from others. This of course means that we have to constantly monitor the size and effectiveness of other countries, and so we invite small parties of the royals and aristocrats down from each country at different times of the year. We don't want to start a war unnecessarily because of a lack of tact, so we generally have an attractive young woman like yourself to ask questions as we have found that the visiting men from these countries tend to be more open with attractive females..." Throughout this explanation the Kings voice had become lower and quieter, finally trailing off suggestively.

Felicity took a moment to absorb this information, "and what exactly would I have to do to extract this information?" she asked, looking into the kings expectant eyes.

He suddenly became jolly, surprising Felicity enough to make her jump back in her seat. "Oh, only smile a little more generously than usual, perhaps lean a little towards the gentleman you are speaking to and invite him to a little after-dinner drink with you upstairs in your private rooms..."

"You mean prostitute myself?" She asked, springing up in shock and indignation. The chair clanged loudly against the stone floor as it tipped backwards.

"No, no my dear. It never comes to that..." Jonathan righted the chair for her. "You are not prostituting yourself, you are merely using your beautiful looks to obtain information. If you wish it, there need be no physical contact..."

She sat back down slowly, mulling it over in her head. "What would be my pay?" She finally asked.

"You would live here in the castle with a large bedroom, and a dressing room and you would be treated as a member of the royal family with all servants at your beck and call. You will be supplied with a horse of your choice, a maid and a guard. We will pay you £1000 gold coins a month and this is too buy yourself dresses for all occasions and any other accessories you deem necessary to make yourself as attractive as possible. Any money left over is yours to keep."

Felicity tried to think how much £1000 gold actually was...one simple dress only cost 1 gold piece, whereas an elaborate dress cost 5...after a moment she realised exactly how much money she would have left over at the end of the month.

"I would be happy to start as soon as you need me." She smiled.

The King clapped his hands happily and smiled at her. "You start straight away! Jonathan, show Lolita to her new home!" Jonathan pulled out Felicity's chair for her as she stood and opened the door for her. "One more thing though," the King said, his mood again shifting so suddenly Felicity was sure she'd develop whiplash if he continued, "you can at no point during this job fall in love. We have previously found that this...complicates things..."

Felicity smiled again. "That's not a problem for me."


	13. Timetables and Dinner

_Right, so I've been good this time! I'm updating after only about a week! In my view this is a nice long chapter...so please be happy! As always please review because it makes me happy. I'm sure all of my faithful and wonderful followers are getting fed up of not having any Felicity-Peter chapters, but trust me, all this is essential o the plot! It gets much better so please stick with me! _

Within the hour Felicity was comfortably settled into her new room. Having run from the battle two months ago with no possessions, she had none to collect from the tavern. Instead she sat at a small desk reading a book on the history of Gardania and eating a bunch of grapes (which were nowhere near as good as Narnian grapes!)

"Come in!" She called out as there was a knock on the door, standing as Jonathan entered again. Handing her a large, heavy pouch he looked around her room briefly.

"I trust everything is to your liking?" He asked formally.

"Absolutely." She replied, far more interested in the contents of the pouch.

"In there you will find 500 gold coins," he told her, "you will be given the other 500 in a few weeks once you have proven yourself to be efficient at your job and gained our trust. The King has organised some subtle protection for you in town in case you attract any unwanted attention. He asks that you go into town immediately and order enough dresses to last at least one week, day and night and anything else you deem necessary.

Felicity smiled, twirling a coin in her fingers. "Please just point me in the right direction." She smiled at him.

"Breakfast is served at 8 o'clock but is optional for you depending on how late you are required to stay up the night before. Lunch is at 1 o'clock and dinner at 8 o'clock. You may go to the kitchen at any point during the day and request food." Jonathan told Felicity as he gave her a tour of the castle when she returned from town.

"What about if I'm hungry at night?"

"There will always be a cook in the kitchen. We have three cooks; one who is on duty from 12 o'clock in the evening till 12 o'clock in the afternoon, at which point our two other cooks take over to finish preparing lunch and to start dinner." Felicity nodded her approval at the efficiency of it all. "This is the Great Hall." Jonathan stated, pushing open a door to a magnificent hall and walking through it quickly as Felicity pattered behind him and took in her surroundings.

"You are expected to be awake by 1 o'clock in the afternoon at the latest. At 2 o'clock you will have a lesson on the history of Gardania, then at 3 o'clock for 1 hour you will have a lesson on any subject your tutor wishes to widen your reading and give you more topics of conversation. At 6 o'clock until 7 o'clock you will either have a lesson on singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument. You will then have an hour to prepare yourself for the evening. This is the dining room where breakfast, lunch and dinner are eaten when there are no or few guests."

"So what do you do for fun around here? Go riding? How far away is the sea?"

"You may do whatever you wish, however you will be supplied with a Guard whenever you go somewhere where there are commoners. This is the kitchen."

"Commoners?" She asked, wrinkling her brow in confusion.

"The people of the country. Peasants."

"Do you mean ordinary people? People without whom this country could not function? People like me?" She asked in outrage.

"You are not a commoner. You are now an important employee of King Riordan."

Speechless for a moment she paused. "And that completes our tour. The King wishes to see you to decide on your background story for staying at the castle." Before she could think of a scathing and cutting answer to his previous comment he had walked off. "Dinner is in 2 hours. You are expected to dress accordingly." He called out over his shoulder.

Accordingly? What did accordingly mean? Shrugging it off she visited the Kings study and left an hour later once the King was satisfied with the false details of her past that she would tell the guests. She then went to her room and attempted to smarter herself up. The room was lit by five torches; one on each wall except for the opposing wall which had one on either side of the bed. There were two candles on her dressing table and one on her desk.

Her dressing room was slightly smaller and she'd store her dresses in it and her beauty products once she'd built up a collection. As it was currently empty (save for the full-length mirror) the room was only lit by one torch. Felicity now went over to this mirror and proceeded to check her dress. She was still in the same simple blue dress she'd bought yesterday but she was a clean girl and so there were no stains on the material.

An hour was enough time to wash her hair...ok no it wasn't. It took her hair three hours to drip dry! She settled instead for making a flower slide. Taking a small comb with large teeth from amongst her new beauty items she chose two lilies from the vase on her desk and wound the stems through the teeth to create a nice slide. Satisfied with her work she redid her usual side parting and twisted her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck slightly to the left of the centre of her head. She then slid the comb into the top of her bun and tweaked gently at the lilies.

Having never been a gaudy jewellery girl she chose her very simple new necklace of a single small teardrop of diamond on a silver chain.

Now she had about 45 minutes left to try and get used to the old fashioned make-up. Wetting her small brush in her basin she cautiously dipped it in the kohl powder and mixed it smoothly in the extra pallet kept just for this. Then she applied it on the inside rim of her eyes and tried to paint her eyelashes like the woman in the shop had shown her. Felicity squinted at herself in the mirror. It kind of worked, though modern day mascara was by far superior. Giving a sigh she went to her basin and attempted to wash the kohl off. It looked silly.

Sitting back down again she only applied the kohl to the rim of her eyes lightly. That was enough.

The lipstick was easy to apply with the other brush. Felicity only applied the wax and berry juice mixture lightly to give her lips a slight red tinge.

Pushing her new cosmetics aside Felicity stared at herself for a moment before breaking out into a smile. It definitely felt good to be able to wear make-up again; no matter how simplistic it was.

She was sure she still had half an hour left...deciding it was time to exercise her magic a little Felicity turned in her seat and played with the dirty water in her basin, contorting it into different shapes. She was better now; stronger. She could play like this for hours without getting tired. She checked her hair again in the mirror and made sure the lilies were still in exactly the same position. Looking back at her game she almost screamed and jumped up and out of the way as the water splattered all over her floor.

Clutching at her quickly beating heart she forced the water back into the basin. For a moment, she had been sure the water had taken the shape of Peter.

Laughing nervously at herself she checked her hair in the mirror again. Still perfect.

With a sigh she went over to her desk and opened her book on the history of Gardania again. Its history was chequered to say the least, a short war with Atogria three years ago over the exports of wine. Another war with Atogria 20 years ago. 10 Lords sentenced to death for treason 30 years ago. A civil war 54 years ago. This was as far as Felicity had reached in Gardania's history and she quickly shut the book again as she was in no mood to learn. Instead she paced the room; speculating about the dinner she was about to attend. Who would be there? What would they talk about? How would she know it was time to go downstairs?

The latter was answered quickly when someone knocked on her door. "Yes?" She asked loudly. A young man poked his head around the door; he was perhaps 20ish.

"Pardon me Miss Lolita, dinner is ready. Do you know your way to the hall?" He asked politely.

"Oh I- yes I think I do." She stuttered nervously. "How do I look?" She asked him, smoothing her skirt.

"Lovely." He replied with a kind smile.

"Right. Right." She replied, trying to get a grip of herself. "Actually I think you'd better take me just in case." She said. She had taken a liking to him because he had twinkling eyes. "What's your name?"

"Callum, Miss. I'm the boot boy." He told her, leading her down the corridor and then to the left.

Felicity nodded in understanding; they'd had a boot faun in Cair Paravel. "Aren't you the boot man though? Surely you're too old to be a boy!" She remarked, trying to make casual conversation to calm her nerves.

"I'm not a boy anymore." He said, giving a light chuckle. "It's just the name of the job. I sometimes have to help in the gardens as well though."

"What is this dinner going to be like?" Felicity asked quickly, her butterflies worsening as they went down the steps to the ground floor.

"It's the King and members of his court. So it'll be his advisors, the General, a few Lords and Ladies and others."

"Ok." Felicity said in relief. She'd been afraid it'd just be herself and the King.

"Here you are." Callum told her as they slowed at a door that Felicity recognised. "Good luck, Miss." He said kindly.

"Thank you." She replied with a smile at him before nodding at a guard who swung the door open and announced her.

"Miss Lolita Amara." She walked into the dim room hesitantly as the hushed voices faded away and everyone turned to stare at her.

"Ah, Lolita!" The King boomed, standing up from the table and walking over to her.

"Everyone, this is Lolita Amara. I won't bother with introducing everyone to you right now Lolita as I'm sure you won't remember a single one of them (I know I never do..) I'm sure you will speak to everyone throughout the course of the evening. Now then, why don't you sit down here?" The King held the chair out for Felicity politely. "This is Duchess Rowena and this is General Timond. This, my dear Timond, is the woman who is going to make your job much easier." King Riordan told the General, clapping his hands on Felicity's shoulders.

"Oh, really?" Asked General Timond, smiling at Felicity. "Yes I can see why you chose her, Riordan!" He called across the table. Felicity bowed her head a moment in embarrassment before turning to Duchess Rowena.

"Hello, Duchess Rowena, it's very nice to meet you." She said awkwardly; hoping to start up a conversation that was not about her looks or her new job.

"Hm, yes." Said the Duchess in reply. Felicity took an instant disliking to the woman because of her rudeness and instead turned back to the General.

"So, General; how long have you been the General?" She asked politely as servants started to offer food to everyone.

"Seven years and three months." He replied. "Yes, pork for me please."

"Do you know, Timond," the King called across the table. Everyone immediately dropped their conversation to listen to the King. "Cook told me the pig spoke to him! It said, 'please don't kill me. I have a family to provide for!' It's another one of those bastard talking animals from Narnia."

"No! How did it end up here?" Asked a man slightly down the table from Felicity.

"Oh who cares? It's dead now." There was laughter all around the table at his words. The servant next came to Felicity.

"Pork, Madam?" He asked politely, holding the dish towards her with a large serving fork poised above the meat.

"No." Said Felicity, recoiling from the dish. She may have only spent a few months in Narnia but she knew that to eat a talking beast was as bad as eating another human.

Silence fell around the table again as everyone watched her.

"Do you not like pork?" Asked King Riordan. A few beats passed before Felicity had come up with a suitable answer.

"I'm a vegetarian." She told him with a smile. Her lame excuse seemed to satisfy most of the table's occupants, save for the young man opposite her and the General.

Bowing her head again Felicity tried to concentrate on the pattern on her plate as she heard conversation around the table resume. She could hear the man on the other side of the Duchess who was presumably the Duke. "I am sure, my dear that if you too were a vegetarian your figure would be similar to Miss Lolita's. Perhaps you-"

"I am sorry, King Riordan but I am afraid I must return home. I am feeling a little ill." The Duchess said loudly, standing up quickly and walking from the room.

Riordan gave a guffaw of laughter. "What've you done this time Christian?"

The portly Duke shook his head in ignorance and took a mouthful of meat.

Felicity directed her gaze across the table now; straight at the young man who was still staring at her. He was one of the few who hadn't been pacified by her vegetarian explanation.

"Do I know you?" She blurted out. He was incredibly good looking and looked familiar. She noticed in relief that he was also a brunette with a messy side-fringe that had been fashionable in England.

"I don't believe we've ever met." He told her, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"You're Tommy Bastow!" She suddenly cried. Once again everyone stopped their conversations to stare at her. His face remained completely still.

"You are mistaken. My name is John Watson."

She held back a laugh at his words. He was definitely from England.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. You look like someone I knew in my country." She said, giving an apologetic smile. "Oh yes, carrots for me please." She said to the servant.

Conversation started once again around the table with the General giving Felicity tips on how to subtly extract information from the royalty and aristocrats of other countries.

"- of course after I heard that my felicity was sky high!-" Felicity started at her name and looked around to see who'd called her. After a moment she realised no-one here knew her name. The gentleman who'd spoken was referring to the meaning of her name; happiness. She quickly glanced around in hope that no-one had seen her reaction and linked eyes with John Watson/Tommy Bastow who raised an eyebrow coolly at her again. Felicity looked back at her bowl and quickly ate a spoonful of fruit.

"-but you see I firmly believe that a positive attitude adds to your overall felicity!-" Felicity started again at the overheard conversation. She knew the boy opposite was still staring at her and wished with all her heart that the gentleman who kept saying her name would stop.


	14. Revelations Can Bring Much Relief

_Yaaaaaay! I'm updating only a day later! This isn't really a significant chapter at all it's just a bit of a filler...one for Felicity and Tommy to bond :). I've put Tommy Bastow in there because I think he is absolutely beautiful...I hope you all enjoy this recent update and although not much happens, I would still appreciate some reviews, just to stroke my ego please. Love you all!_

Felicity eventually made her excuses about having had a long day and retired to her room. She leant back against the door exhaustedly; she'd had to answer all kinds of tiring questions about her family, her country, her vegetarianism...

She sat down at her dressing table again and looked at her reflection. Her make-up had faded ever so slightly in the four hours since she'd put it on and her face looked a bit bare now. She leant her head on her arms in defeat, was every evening going to be as tiring as this?

Someone knocked on her door and entered straight away before she'd even gathered the energy to raise her head.

"How do you know I'm Tommy Bastow?" Asked the man from the table angrily, pacing up and down her room. "If you know my name, then you must come from the same place as me..."

"England. I saw the film you were in." She responded; standing and walking towards him after a moment's hesitation.

"Right, England...so you're from England...and I'm from England..."

Felicity nodded encouragingly. He didn't seem to be taking the news very well.

"Where in England do you come from then?" He asked suspiciously. Felicity knew that his trust in her would depend on her next answer.

"London. You're from Surrey aren't you? I think that's what it said on your Wikipedia page..."

He nodded shortly at her before stopping to stare into her eyes. "So how did you end up here?" He finally asked.

"It's a long story...well, actually it's not; I just don't feel like going into the details." She replied, breaking contact with his intense gaze and sitting back down at her dressing table. She teased the comb out of her hair whilst half-watching Tommy in the mirror.

"Ok, well are there any details you can tell me?" He asked. Felicity didn't reply as she tried to think of a reply. "I think I was stabbed..." Felicity looked at him again.

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly.

He sat down gently on the side of her bed. "I was on my way to band practise when someone in a hoody threatened me with a knife and demanded my money. When I refused he went for my stomach and then I turned up here. Jonathan saw me in the market a few months ago and gave me a job."

Felicity nodded slightly and sat down beside him on the bed as she thought through what he'd just said. "You shouldn't have refused. Your life is worth much more than a few pounds. If you ever get home..then I hope you're not dead...I'm sorry that came out wrong!" She said, shaking her head with a slight laugh.

"No, I understand. I'm not sure though, I think I'm dead. I mean this place isn't exactly my idea of heaven, but I'm an atheist so maybe this is as close to heaven as I can get." Neither looked at each other; instead they both stared steadfastly at the wall and occasionally glanced down at their clasped hands or laps.

"You're not dead. I know because I fell into my wardrobe and ended up here, so I'm not dead and I'm here; which means you can't be dead either." Felicity finished her slightly muddled explanation; she'd been thinking it through as she spoke and it hadn't come out quite as organised as her normal conversation.

"But what if you're only dreaming?" Tommy asked suddenly, sitting up straight to look at her properly. "Did you ever see Inception?" Felicity looked at him and nodded; it'd come out a week before she ended up in Narnia. "What if we're dreaming and we have to kill ourselves to get home?" He asked; his voice eager. Felicity knew what he wanted. He wanted her to give him a definite answer so that he would know. He wanted her to make the difficult decision for him.

"But what if we're not dreaming?" She finally asked him quietly. "What if this is our reality now?" She completely understood what he was thinking, but she couldn't even consider Narnia being a dream when everything felt so real.

"Don't you want to get home?" He leant towards her. Felicity wasn't sure she liked all of these intimate questions from a stranger but she quickly reconsidered this thought. She'd seen his face on a big cinema screen and read about him on Wikipedia. He may be a stranger, but the two of them were from a different world to everyone else which instantly linked them together.

"I don't know. I had a good life in England...I was clever enough to go to private schools once I'd turned 10 and my parents were well-off. I went to parties every weekend, I could sing, dance, act...my dream was to be famous. I had lots of friends...lots of boys clamouring for my attention...I had a good life." Felicity trailed off, staring at the flickering flame of one of her numerous candles as she seriously considered what she no longer had for the first time.

"You didn't answer my question." Tommy prodded after a pause. He was staring at the profile of her face intensely. His relief at being able to talk to someone about his past was so great that he was much bolder with Felicity than he would normally be with a stranger.

"I don't know what I want!" She exclaimed before mulling over her life in both worlds. Narnia was like a dream, but at one point it had become a nightmare; a nightmare that was now lavishly decorated thanks to the Gardanian King. "I was happy at home, but I'm happy here; life is much simpler...or so it should be." She added as an afterthought.

"Why isn't it simpler?"

Felicity ignored Tommy's question and asked one herself. "Do you want to get home?"

"I don't know either. My life was similar to yours...well-off parents, lots of friends, good student, girls always flirting...maybe one day I'll fall over here, and I'll end up back in England." He said, leaning his elbows on his knees and looking distractedly at the stone floor.

A silence fell between the two as they both thought about their old life before Felicity let out a giggle.

"What?" Tommy asked immediately.

"You told them your name's John Watson." She said with another giggle.

"Oi, don't laugh! I'd just finished watching the Sherlock Holmes movie and it was the first name that came into my head! I didn't want to give them my real name...Anyway, you're one to talk! I bet your real name isn't Lolita! It's Felicity isn't it?"

She nodded her agreement.

"I knew it when you kept jumping whenever Lord Byran said 'felicity'. You better get used to it; he always says felicity instead of happiness. Did you get the name Lolita from Vladimir Nobakov's novel?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to give them my real name either."

"What is your full name?"

"Felicity Valerio." She told him after a moment's hesitation. It felt strange saying her surname. 'Lady Felicity' seemed to have become her full name in her head.

"Italian?"

She nodded her head. "I'm a quarter Italian, a quarter Chinese, a quarter English and a quarter Russian."

"Wow!" Tommy exclaimed, looking slightly impressed. "I'm just English...So how old are you?"

"17. 18 in a few months. I think...I'm not entirely sure what month it is now."

"No, me neither; all the days seem to blur into one in this job. I'm 18 by the way. I think I might be 19 soon. Have you been in Gardania long?"

Felicity shook her head. "I arrived in the area last night, but I've been travelling to this city for 5 days."

"Where were you transported to then? You said you'd lost track of months here..." Tommy leaned back on his elbows and Felicity crossed her legs and turned on the bed so that she was facing him.

"I turned up in Narnia."

"...Isn't that he place with the talking animals?" He asked immediately. If he hadn't already known then he most certainly would've after dinner.

"Yes, it's a wonderful place." She said with a smile. Even with everything that had happened with Peter she couldn't deny that her short time in Narnia had been the happiest of her life.

"Is that why you wouldn't eat the pork? Because it was a talking animal?" He asked delicately after a moment's hesitation.

Felicity nodded slowly. "Eating a talking beast is like eating a human. It's not morally right."

"So, I guess you're not a vegetarian then?"

"No." Felicity answered with a slight laugh. "Would you mind smuggling me some meat sometimes?"

"No problem." He laughed. "The look on your face when you were offered that pork! There was an awful moment when I thought you were going to be sick!"

"I very nearly was!" Another silence fell between the two before Felicity thought of another question. "So what's your job here?"

"I'm the male version of you. I make the female guests feel special...an intense gaze here, brush of the hand there; this job is so easy." He added flippantly at the end.

"Is it nice working here? Are you happy?" She asked slowly.

"I think I'm as happy as I can be. But my dream is the same as yours; I want to be famous. I want to sing on stage and hear my songs on the radio. I want to see my face on the TV, and I'm not going to achieve that here because they haven't created TV's, or CD's..."

"No, but what's working here actually like? Are the people nice?"

"The job is easy, but it's not the nicest job in the world. You just got a taste of it this evening...Duchess Rowena was cold and distant to you because you're so attractive and show up very single flaw the woman has. Being near you makes her insecure; and it's the same for me with men, but I think that it's worse with women..."

"But there must be some people who're the same sex as you that are nice to you?"

"Oh, of course! But more often than not it's a fake kindness. You can see them evaluating your appearance even as they smile at you. People decide they hate you before they even know your name. Take Viscount Harris; I've spoken to the man twice (and that was only the general pleasantries) but apparently the man absolutely hates me because his wife can't stop staring at me and he feels she's making a fool out of him."

A short silence fell between the two before Tommy continued.

"If you're a materialistic person who wants nothing but money, luxury and connections then this job is one of the best. But if you want something meaningful this job isn't right, and I think you're looking for something meaningful." Tommy said, turning to look at Felicity as he finished.

"Whether or not something is meaningful depends on the person." Felicity told him wisely. "But I don't have a choice anymore; I need a job that enables me to stay distant."

"This job is perfect then. The King asks no personal questions and the guests are gone within a few weeks at the most. Why, what secrets are you keeping?" He asked inquisitively, cocking his head to one side at her.

"They wouldn't be secrets if I told you." She said with a smile.

"Ah, come on, we're from the same world; I think that bonds us in a certain way."

"I think so as well; but I don't feel like talking about my past right now. I'm too tired."

Tommy laughed at her. "You'll adjust in a few days..in this job you stay up until the early hours of the morning and sleep till the afternoon. Anyway, I'll leave you to sleep now." He stood up and walked towards the door before turning to face Felicity again. "By the way, I'd appreciate it if you called me John in public. Tommy is fine in private but otherwise I want to keep my disguise going."

"I'll do as you ask if you return the favour..."

Tommy smiled his agreement and walked out of the door, leaving Felicity to undress and crawl into bed.


	15. Secrets Are Hard to Keep

_Wahoo, man I'm on form! To make up for neglecting this story for so long I'm writing loads of chapters! (and plus I have less parties to go to now it's the end of the summer holidays...) So, yet again no Peter-Felicity, but that could be because he's in Narnia and she's in Gardania...please stick with me everyone, I'm trying to make it a real story and not just a load of chapters that focus on nothing but Peter-Felicity moments...As always, please review as it makes me happy!_

The next day Felicity was awake by 10 o'clock and after a quick breakfast of strawberry jam on toast ordered the carriage to take her to town for her dress fitting. As the carriage rolled up at the bottom of the castle steps the door was opened for her from the inside by Tommy.

"Do you mind if I accompany you?" He asked politely.

"Not at all." She replied, equally as polite as she masked her surprise. A guard aided her through the small door and shut it after her before climbing onto his own horse and calling out to the driver that they were ready. There was one guard ahead of the carriage and two following behind; all on horseback.

Tommy must have been watching her counting as he remarked, "the driver is also a guard. He is dressed in normal working clothes in case he has to blend in when he follows you."

"Oh," was all Felicity could think to say, "Will he be following me a lot?"

"Only when subtlety is needed. The guard won't accompany you into shops and such unless you ask them too." Felicity nodded in understanding and looked keenly out of the window at the passing houses as she tried to familiarise herself with her new surroundings.

"Something you said last night had me thinking..." Felicity turned to face Tommy at his words. He seemed to be waiting for her to speak first and she could see his impatience in his eyes as his polite pause lengthened.

"What?"

He clearly needed no further encouragement and first looked around to make sure none of the guards were too close before continuing in a hushed voice.

"You said your name is Felicity and you turned up in Narnia..." He trailed off quietly, his eyes trained intensely on hers.

"Yes. So?" She asked, glancing around nervously to make sure nobody had heard him. She was worried by his need to repeat something they'd discussed in private in dangerous hearing distance of the guards.

"You wouldn't happen to be Lady Felicity who stole High King Peter's heart and can magically control water, would you?" His words came out in such an eager rush that it took Felicity a moment to process what he had said. She suddenly leant away from him and searched his face frantically with her eyes.

"How do you know these things?" She demanded almost aggressively after a lengthy pause.

Tommy straightened up as well and alternated between checking that the Guards were not too close and searching Felicity's face for her reactions. "Everyone was talking about the war simply because it was a war...and then once the war was over and some Caloremen guests came they started bragging about having to defeat a sorceress who could control water. Tarkaheena Marchella's brother was saying that his sister got the better end of the deal as she is now High Queen of Narnia and because of Calormen's strict rules regarding women not seeing many men; she was much better off than King Peter because she wasn't in love with anyone; whereas he was in love with the sorceress, whom they then named as Felicity." Tommy took a deep breath after his long sentence.

Felicity was silent as she thought things through. Having only met Tommy yesterday she was surprised to find she trusted him completely. "Does this mean that everybody knows about my magic?" She finally asked quietly.

Tommy nodded. "But they don't know you're Felicity; and I really think you should keep it as secret as possible. Almost every female guest I have flirted with has told me that the people of their country are continually on the lookout for Lady Felicity who disappeared from the battlefield when King Peter agreed to marry Marchella. You are one of the most wanted people in this world." He said, turning to look at Felicity who instead stared out of the little window. "If anyone finds out who you are they will exploit your magic to take over all the other countries."

She turned her head quickly to look at him. "I am in control of my own mind; I hate killing and I won't allow anyone to exploit my powers..."

"In this world anything is possible; the talking animals of Narnia are proof of that."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" She demanded. She wasn't annoyed at Tommy; but at the rather strange situation she was in. There was so much at stake now if anyone found out who she really was. Whilst she was confident in her abilities to fight off anyone who decided to exploit her with her magic; she was not at all happy with the entire world knowing of her existence. Tommy ignored her question and continued to stare at her as she seriously questioned her own sanity. She could control water; had she really thought that would stay between the Narnians and Calormene? No, of course not.

She turned to look at Tommy suddenly. "You won't tell anyone will you?" She could hear herself in her head. She sounded like a naughty child.

"Of course not." He told her reassuringly with a smile.

"Do you know how to fight?" She asked him suddenly.

He looked at her strangely for a moment at her out-of-the-blue request before realising what she wanted.

"You want to be able to protect yourself don't you? Why not just use your magic?"

"Because then I would have to kill whoever I'd used it on!" She snapped at him before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. If I use my magic in front of people I will either have to run; again, or kill whoever saw which I really don't want to do. I was slowly learning how to defend myself in Narnia but the lessons stopped when we went to war."

Tommy stared at her for a moment. "I suppose we can ask General Timmond. I wouldn't mind having a few lessons myself" The carriage slowed to a stop and the same guard who'd helped her in opened the door and helped Felicity out and onto the street in front of Jennifer's dress shop. Tommy got out himself after her and accompanied her in without another word.

"I'm afraid you can't be in her, Sir, whilst Miss Lolita has her fitting!" Jennifer told Tommy as soon as the two entered, her cheeks flushing slightly. He was handsome.

"Oh, ok! I'll just go across to Yisdale's and order some new boots." He said after a moment's thought on how to occupy himself. "I'll see you in a few minutes" He said to Felicity before walking out of the door and going directly across the street to the men's shop.

"Jennifer, have you ever spoken to Jonathan?" Felicity asked the dress-maker from behind the dressing screen after a short silence in which she tried on the first unfinished dress.

"Oh yes Miss! He regularly came down here with the King's last employee, Miss Claudia. I heard from the butcher, and he heard from a kitchen maid that he and Miss Claudia were courting..." She said as Felicity stepped onto the low stool and Hillary started to pin up the hem of the dress.

"Where is Miss Claudia now?" Felicity asked. For some reason Tommy's use of the adjective 'new' had started her thinking of their predecessors.

"Stand up straight please. No-one knows...she simply disappeared one day..."

"Well...what do you think happened to her?" Felicity asked hesitantly. It was obvious what Jennifer would say; it was a common enough storyline in England included in thousands of books and movies.

"It's not my place to say Miss."

"Please Jennifer!" Felicity almost begged her.

Jennifer sighed and stood up straight, putting pins in the material around Felicity's waist now. "I would normally say that she broke his heart and ran off and now he's afraid to get close to anyone...but I heard from the tavern owner, who heard it from a customer who's married to one of the maids that all of her things were still in her room in the castle...Why would anyone run away and leave all their things behind?"

"It's possible..." Felicity trailed off, thinking about her own flight. "I knew someone who did that..."

"Well maybe, but there was also the rumour that the King had her killed; but the reason is different in the different rumours; some say it's because he was in love with her and she refused him. Another one is that she committed treason against the King. I'm not being funny Miss; but I wouldn't want to be in your place because although you're living a life of luxury...it's a dangerous life. None of the past 5 women who had your job have ever been seen again..."

"That is strange..." Felicity trailed off, swallowing loudly.

The guard closed the carriage door behind Felicity and as soon as she was sure he was out of earshot she turned to Tommy and grabbed onto the front of his shirt, pulling his face close to hers.

"What is it?" He asked worriedly, shocked at the suddenness and violence of her actions.

"How many other men have had your job?" She asked quietly.

"King Riordan told me two...what's-"

"Do you know where they are now?" Felicity interrupted.

"Well...no, but why should I?" Felicity stared hard at Tommy until an inkling of understanding finally dawned on his face. She released his shirt and leant back in her seat as she related her conversation with Jennifer to him.

"Jennifer at the dress shop just told me that my five predecessors have never been seen or heard from, and nobody knows where they disappear to. We're in danger Tommy. Once we're not so attractive the King will have us killed. I'm sure of it!"

After a short silence Tommy finally spoke back to her. "We're ok for a while...we have...what...a year? We can save up our earnings and then make a run for it one day."

"But how will we know when to make a run for it?"

"We'll just know! Or...ok, how about we give it 5 months and then leave. In 5 months we should have about 5500 gold coins left over between us. That is more than enough to get away quickly and lie low for a few years. We'll be fine."

Felicity nodded in agreement, relieved Tommy had started planning their escape already. They both remained silent for the rest of the journey home; each was starting to formulate a plan in their mind about where they could go and how they could earn their living.


	16. Subtlety Is A Fine Art

_Ok so this is just a filler chapter. I've only put it in so that you all know what she's saying is her background and the type of work she has to do and shizzle. I would LOVE some reviews, but this is a pretty bad chapter so I don't really expect any...Better chapter next week I promise! _

"Absolutely stunning..." The King said as he circled around Felicity. "The words will be tumbling out of their mouths! Now your first assignment is more of a test than anything...you are to extract as much information as possible from Duke Harrold of Ilios about the state of his army. We already have all of the information we need, but this is your test and if you fail you will be out faster than you can say goodbye!" The King chirruped happily.

"Do I not get any background information on him?" Felicity asked in alarm as the King gave her a gentle shove in the direction of the door.

"Oh no! It's all part of the test my dear...I will introduce you to him as soon as we enter."

The King offered Felicity his arm and she gladly held onto him, fiddling with her new ruby necklace nervously as the two approached the great hall. Leaving the King's room they walked left, then right before coming to one of the grand staircases on either side of the great hall.

She took a deep breath as the Guards opened the door, giving an exuberant and fake smile as her name was announced after the King. Everyone bowed and curtseyed as the King and Felicity made their way through the aristocrats of Gardania until they finally reached the small party from Ilios. The Duke and his company bowed to the King and then to Felicity as she was introduced, accompanying Duke Harrold was his wife, Duchess Lydia, their daughter Isobel and her friend Arabella.

The King immediately offered the Duchess his arm and swept her away to the dance floor whilst two young men from nearby (whom Felicity was sure were in on act...) distracted the two girls. She turned to the Duke awkwardly and attempted to give him a winning smile, looking at him properly for the first time. He smiled back and the skin around his eyes crinkled; her job suddenly became harder as she could see that he had laughter lines which, in her own opinion, made him a kind man. Deceiving someone unpleasant is always easier than deceiving someone nice.

"So, Duke Harrold, I trust the people of Gardania have been welcoming?" She knew it was a lame question, but small talk often led to larger topics.

"Most certainly." He replied in a deep, booming voice. "We have all been bestowed with gifts and everyone we have spoken to has been kind and friendly. The people here are very charming!"

"Oh, that's good to hear." She said, desperately trying to think of something else to say.

"If you don't mind me asking," He carried on, much to Felicity's relief, "where do you come from? I have been as far as Calormen and I have never encountered a race with features like yours..."

Felicity was now regretting not coming up with something to say herself.

"I come from very far east," she finally replied after a lengthy pause. "Slightly further then Calormen." She said, swiping two goblets from a passing servant and handing one to the grateful Duke.

"So you're from Archenland?"

"No, I'm not. I come from further than Archenland...it's a small Island near the Lone Islands." She finally told him haltingly.

"Ah, so you're under Narnian rule?"

"No, not exactly." Her smile was becoming incredibly strained. "What I mean to say is...we were under Narnian rule when I left the Island, but I haven't been home in quite a few years."

"And why is that?"

"My parents died when I was 10 and I am King Riordan's charge, therefore I came to live with him a few weeks ago. I spent 7 years at my Aunt's house finishing my education with my cousins..."

"That is tragic! Though very kind of the King to take you in...how did your parents die?" He asked sympathetically.

"They drowned." She said shortly. She and the King had planned her backup story earlier, but this was the first time she was saying it to anyone, the first time she was pretending her parents were dead. "So, where exactly is Ilios?" She asked cheerfully. King Harold seemed to be an obliging sort who would gladly help anyone out, even if they were asking the most stupid questions imaginable.

"We're to the west of here, just past Atogria and before Tenlow."

"Oh I see! I'm familiar with the people of Atogria! Although they are not the most agreeable of people..."

"Indeed not! They are very quick to anger!"

"Have you ever angered them before?" She asked cautiously, taking a sip of wine so she would not have to look him in the eye.

"A few times, but we've only been to war with them once mercifully!"

"Why mercifully? Oh no, that's such a silly question! I almost made it sound as though going to war is a good thing..." She trailed off with a tinkling laugh that to her sounded as hollow and empty as her goblet. She needed more wine.

He laughed slightly with her, "don't worry Miss Lolita, I knew what you meant! We were thankful because Ilios is a great deal small than Atogria, and if we were to engage in battle we would most certainly lose!"

"Oh I see!" She exclaimed, leaning towards him slightly and widening her eyes in what she hoped was an attractive expression. "But it is still possible to win a battle with a small army is it not? There are numerous accounts in history of such a thing happening!"

"Well of course, it is possible, but I'm afraid the army of Ilios is hardly an efficient one! Due to the small numbers of the population it is very difficult to find enough men to enlist!"

"Oh really? How exactly would you define a small army? I mean...small in army numbers is in the thousands!" Out of the corner of her eye Felicity spied Tommy taking the Duchess from the King for the waltz.

"Well a large army is very easy to define; it's generally more than 10,000 men, whereas a small army is more along the lines of 4,000 or 5,000 men..." Duke Harrold continued; oblivious to Felicity's strained smile.

"Does the Ilios army fit into the small or large category? And what about the middle category between 5,000 and 10,000 men...what size army do you refer to that as?"

"Oh Ilios' army is definitely in the small category! If an army is between either of the two numbers then the size really depends on the size of the opposing army! If your enemy has a larger army then you automatically become a small army..."

But this was too easy! This man was handing out information like smiles! And she didn't even have to flirt!

"I must confess that I've never taken a keen interest in army affairs! Although I do find the history of countries fascinating! Learning why wars are started and such...oh look, the Duchess is coming back!" She gestured thankfully.

Tommy raised his eyebrows at Felicity slightly as he handed the Duchess back to the Duke. "I trust you have been keeping the Duke entertained Lolita?" He asked, his simple question full of meaning.

"Allow me to introduce you to King Riordan's other charge; John Watson." Felicity said to the Duke with a real smile as she mentioned Tommy's name.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr Watson." The Duke formally shook Tommy's hand. "Miss Lolita is a great listener! She has put up with my constant talk of army definitions and Ilios!"

"Oh, Harold! You shouldn't discuss such boring affairs at a party!" Queen Lydia chastised him gently. "I'm terribly sorry Miss Lolita!" She said with a smile at Felicity.

"There is nothing to apologise for." Felicity gave her a charming smile. "Your husband has educated me in an area I am ashamed to say I have neglected!"

"Miss Lolita mentioned you're also a charge of the King. Pray, tell me what happened to your parents?" The Duke said to Tommy, raising his voice slightly over the sudden swell of voices.

"I am afraid they were lost at sea 3 years ago." Tommy replied easily.

"I am very sorry to hear that. It is good that you are both charges of the Kings; at least you can find some solace in each other company!"

"Indeed we are lucky-" Tommy started to reply before being interrupted by a servant announcing dinner to be ready.


	17. Sing For Your Future

_I'm afraid that this is just another filler chapter! Once again I ask everyone to just bear with me as the plot is developing and the story will get interesting again soon! As always, please review and shizzle...Love you all! _

General Timmond was gracing Felicity with his presence in her sparring practise. Tommy had raised their desire to learn how to fight at dinner the very day they'd discussed it and after Felicity's assurances that part of the reason she had her figure was because of vigorous exercise; King Riordan had agreed to add an hour's training to each of their timetables. The General had issued them each a sparring partner (Tommy's was much bigger than Felicity's) that he personally trusted and deemed good enough to pass on their skills. After 3 sessions (and many burning muscles) the General had appeared to show them what fighting an expert swordsman would be like and to give them their specially made weapons.

The General was a sensible man who recognised that Felicity would be in constant danger from visiting men and their infatuations and as such had ordered several small daggers that she would be able to conceal about herself invisibly.

"-this one is for your thigh, and this one can go around your upper arm if you wear a long-sleeved dress." There were 5 daggers in total; he also gave her a bow with a stack of specially fledged arrows and a lightweight sword. He personally thought it looked as though it might collapse under a barrage of blows from a normal sword but he had been placated by the blacksmith's reassurances. The weapons had been paid for by the King and they truly looked as though they had; the sword had a gold hilt and strategic parts of it had been encrusted with small diamonds and pearls whilst each of the daggers contained different gems of one kind. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, red beryl and pink opals glittered in the sunlight as Felicity admired the set of daggers and thanked the General with all of her heart for the beautiful weapons.

They all now turned to look at Tommy's gifts of a shield and sword. His sword was more than twice the width of Felicity's and, though beautiful, was much less showy. The gold hilt had one emerald in it surrounded by intricate carvings and the shield, which unfortunately had the Gardanian emblem of an eagle on it, reflected the sunlight blindingly.

The General smiled away their thanks and after a very short sword fight with each of them (which they both lost abysmally) set about teaching Felicity how to hit a target. Having played netball at school back in England Felicity was actually quite good at throwing daggers; however her sparse archery skills had improved as little as her sparring skills since her lessons in Narnia.

Her arm shook as she drew back the beeswax covered string. She simply wasn't strong enough to pull and hold back the string long enough to be confident with her aim. She released the arrow and almost whacked herself in the face with the rest of the bow as the arrow thudded into the ground a few metres away. The General chuckled at her before retrieving the arrow.

"I will help you more when you have built up some strength. Let us continue for now with your dagger training..."

Once training was over Felicity and Tommy had two hours to themselves before their next lesson which would be singing today; something they were both good at.

Tommy was tired and achy after his hour of sparring but Felicity felt refreshed and happy now that she had discovered a physical way to defend herself that she was actually good at.

"Do you know what I fancy?" She asked Tommy as they walked towards the kitchen for a cool drink. "Ice cream. I could murder for some Ben & Jerry's!"

"Yes!" Tommy agreed enthusiastically. "Phish Food is quite possibly one of the best ever inventions...do you think Cook would be able to make us some ices quickly?"

"I don't see why not...unless we're having them tonight; then all of the ice will be in use...Hey, Adam!" She called out coquettishly at the younger afternoon cook as the two walked into the kitchen. The other afternoon cook was his father; Alejandro. "Would you do me a favour, Adam?" She asked in the same tone as she leant her elbows on the sideboard that separated them and looked up at him with big eyes. She had quickly learnt that innocent flirting got her whatever she wanted a lot faster in this place.

"And what is that, Miss Lolita?" Adam asked with a smile and he leant on his palms over her, unable to look away.

"Would you make us some of your gorgeous ices?" He looked up as Felicity indicated Tommy and after an annoyed glance at him smiled at the beautiful girl. "Anything for you, Miss Lolita." He said devotedly before going down the steps to the cold cellar and returning with a large bowl full of tiny shards of ice that he'd scrapped off the wall that was covered in ice saved specially for making ices.

"Where's the cream?" He asked his father who was chopping a mountain of potatoes. The ageing man pointed with his knife to a large bowl to his left and Adam scooped out generous spoonfuls of the cream into the bowl before squeezing the juice out of an apple and pouring it over the ice and cream before mixing it thoroughly together. After a few moments of vigorous mixing he dealt the cold treat out between two bowls and placed a spoon in each before sliding the bowls towards Felicity who picked them up and handed one to Tommy.

"Thanks, Adam!" She called over her shoulder happily to him as she started to walk out of the room.

"You're welcome! Enjoy your day, Miss Lolita!" He called out to her retreating figure. She gave him a final wave and smile from the doorway before Tommy forced her out of the room.

"It's quite disgusting how dedicated he is too you. Like some faithful puppy!" Tommy remarked as they walked away.

"Oh, hush you! I got us the ices didn't I? Anyway, Adam is a very nice boy..."

"You said that about Callum as well...and Dominic...and Ivan!"

"Yes well I can't help it if there are lots of nice boys in this castle!" She told him with a laugh as they reached her room. "Anyway, you seem to have found a great many nice _girls _in this castle!" Tommy gave no reply as they settled down at either ends of her bed and delved into their ices without another word until both were finished. "Oh my, that was nice." Felicity remarked as she reclined and savoured the pleasant taste. "You couldn't really get apple ice-cream in England...perhaps if we ever get back I'll produce it and make my fortune..."

"I wanna be a billionaire so frickin' bad." Tommy suddenly started singing. Felicity sat up at the familiar song and stared at him. "Buy all of the things I never had..." Felicity laughed and lay back down.

"I love that song! Bruno Mars has a beautiful voice." Giving a sudden gasp she sat up again. "Tommy! That's it! When we do eventually have to leave here we can make our fortunes as minstrels! We know loads of songs that no-one here knows!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"That's brilliant!" He replied, jumping up from the bed. "Come on; think of some songs we can pass off as our own..."

Felicity stood up as well and after a moments though began to sing and dance. "Ooh come and getcha some, come and getcha some, candy. Ooh come and getcha some, come and getcha some, candy. Ooh-"

"It's too sexy." He said with a laugh at her sexy dancing that accompanied the song. "It can't be too sexy because we'll cause a scandal...and it can't mention modern things like televisions and cars..."

"It's time for us to make a move, because we are asking one another to change, and maybe I'm not ready but I try for your love, I can hide up above-" Felicity sang.

"Yes! That's perfect! Everybody loves a love song!"

"Ok, ok your turn!" Felicity said with great excitement, she was having fun thinking of all her favourite songs.

"I can finally see, you only want me when you're lonely. If I say I'm gonna leave, that's the only time you want me-"

"Yes!" Felicity exclaimed, practically jumping up and down with happiness she hopped onto the bed and swung her hips to the imaginary beat in her head.

"I better find your love and, I better find your heart. I better find your love and, I better find your heart. I better find your love and, I better find your heart." Felicity sang. The song had been one of her favourites in England and Tommy jumped up with her and joined in for the last line.

"I bet if I give all my love then nothings gonna tear us apart..." They both sang before collapsing on the bed giggling. They both felt hyper with laughter as they attempted to control themselves. As their laughter finally subsided Felicity moved her head to the right so that it was closer to Tommy's. They were lying in opposite directions to each other with their heads side by side as once again they considered their future.

"Felicity?" Tommy asked after a lengthy pause.

"Mmm?" She hummed back as her hyper mood subsided and she was left feeling lazy and sleepy.

"What was being in love like?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said immediately without even thinking through his question. He flipped onto his stomach and loomed above her.

"No, really? What did it feel like?" She skirted around his head as she sat up as well and crossed her legs, giving herself time to really think about his question.

"I don't really remember...when Peter agreed to marry Marchella I started to persuade myself that he never loved me and I never loved him...it made it easier to get over him...I was happy being in love, well, I suppose I was." She paused as she tried to really think of an answer. "I suppose, the worst thing about being heartbroken is that you can't remember what it felt like before; how it felt to be in love." Tommy nodded his understanding and lay on his back again.

"I always wondered...I've never been in love, but each time I get a new infatuation it feels like love to me...and then I discover it's not...but I always wonder if what I feel is as close as people can get to love because true love only seems to exist in books and films." He spoke with a furrowed brow as he stared reflectively at the ceiling.

"That's a very cynical way of looking at life. I think if you don't believe in love then your life will always be miserable."

"I never said I didn't believe in it." Tommy said, sitting up and leaning on an elbow to observe Felicity. "Do you believe in it?"

"Of course I do." She told him with a small smile. "But I very much doubt it'll ever happen to me." Felicity stood and walked over to her dressing table to put her jewellery on.

"Don't be silly. Everyone here loves you. Just look at Adam!"

"He doesn't love me. It's just an infatuation...and besides I don't love him. It's not reciprocal."

"Love doesn't always have to be returned. In stories love is never returned until the very end when the character realises their stupidity and denial."

"This isn't a story Tommy. We're not going down this route again..." Felicity said, watching him in her mirror as she feared he would restart their conversation about reality and dreams.

"No, you're right." He said shortly, jumping up after a moments heavy pause. "So what shall we do now? We still have over an hour till our next lesson..."

"Let's go riding!" Felicity said excitedly, jumping up as well and leading him out of her room.

_Oooook, order of songs as the lyrics appear..._

_Billionaire – Travis McCoy & Bruno Mars_

_Candy – Aggro Santos & Kimberley Wyatt_

_Ordinary People – Asher Book_

_Only When You're Lonely – Bruno Mars_

_Find Your Love – Drake __ amazing song!_


	18. Nothing's Ever Perfect

_I have to say I think I've been pretty good about this chapter! Not only am I updating only a week after the last one, but this may be one of the biggest chapters I've ever written! I hope you're all proud of me! As always, please review. I think you should all enjoy and hate this chapter. Love you all!_

As Felicity walked briskly down to the Great Hall she tried to remind herself to ask Jennifer to make some more of these summer dresses for her as they were incredibly comfortable and flattering. Jonathan joined her from his study and the two walked quickly together as he plied her with sudden information. "A young Duke and his closest friend have arrived from the Lone Islands with the company from Archenland for the spring festival. The King wants you to focus on the two Lone Islanders as he's never had guests from so far...after lunch you are to suggest a walk in the gardens, and then a ride down to the beach. They are Duke Oliver and his companion Viscount Samuel. John has been taken ill and will not be joining you." Jonathan left Felicity at the Great Hall doors. She stopped in front of the doors for a moment as worry for Tommy clouded her mind. Trying to be professional she nodded to the guards immediately; having spent 7 days a week for the last month subtly extracting information from aristocrats, she no longer felt nervous at the prospect of entertaining.

The doors were opened for her and a guard announced her.

"Miss Lolita Amara."

She floated in with a perfected smile on her face, immediately making her way towards the small cluster of people near a window. They light streaming in behind them all from the setting sun blinded her slightly, and she could do little more than blindly greet the nearest person, who turned out to be the King of Archenland.

"Welcome to Gardania." She trilled, shaking his hand gracefully. This was now her daily routine and she knew how to cope with almost any new guests. She turned to the next person, Aravis, and shook her hand as well, remarking on the beautiful chocker of pearls just visible in the sunlight around the young woman's neck. Standing close by her was Corin; and then Cor. Felicity made a light remark about how alike they were and that she couldn't tell the difference between them.

She turned to greet the next well-dressed person who stepped forward slightly and out of the sun's rays. She automatically shook their hand and gave them her winning smile.

"Why, hello! You must be Duke Oliver from the Lone..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at their face for the first time. He was staring at her just as dumbfounded as she evidently was; their hands were still clasped together although they had now ceased shaking.

Edmund.

Edmund Pevensie.

King Edmund the Just.

King Edmund the Just, Duke of Lantern Waste, Count of the Western March, and Knight of the Noble Order of the Table from Narnia was in Gardania. "...Islands." She finally finished quietly. She dropped his hand. "Well, it was very nice to meet you all." She gave a desperate smile around at everyone else. "Goodbye." She turned on her heel and walked back out of the door quickly.

"Felicity!" Edmund's voice called out behind her. Footsteps followed her swiftly and as soon as she was out of the door she sprinted in the direction of the front entrance, only slowing to look over her shoulder as his footsteps beat out a loud rhythm behind her. She saw him skid around a corner, grabbing a wall for stability. She turned back around and concentrated on the visible front entrance.

"Felicity!" He called out again. "Felicity, wait!"

She tried to run down the steps quickly, hitching up her skirts so she wouldn't trip and holding her (now annoying) hair out of her face. She stared hard at the steps, willing herself not to stumble and give Edmund a chance to catch her.

"Wait!" He was behind her again; she could hear him on the steps. "Pete!" He called out.

Before Felicity had a chance to look up at the too-familiar name, she ran straight into a young man who caught her shoulders before she could crash into his chest and send them both toppling down the last flight of entrance steps.

Recognising the persons smell and his touch, her eyes gradually lifted, finally meeting Peters startlingly blue eyes.

Even though his expression was blank, disbelieving, the familiarity of it all; his touch, his eyes, his smell, immediately brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad. But they were memories Felicity didn't want to remember, memories that she had suppressed into her subconscious where they could no longer hurt her. With a cry she wrenched herself from his hands, almost tripping over her own feet in her eagerness to escape.

Hands steadied her from behind as the world started spinning and she turned to look into Edmunds eyes this time.

Dear Edmund, one of her closest friends. His big brown eyes affected her somehow and she broke down in tears as he hugged her tightly. Peter stood behind her, unsure of what to do and whether or not he was dreaming.

"How did you manage to get here?" Edmund asked Felicity half an hour later. The two were sitting on opposite sides of her bed, facing each other whilst Peter stood awkwardly by the door.

"I walked." She told him with a small smile. It sounded ridiculous when you thought about the distance. "After...I left, I collapsed in a wood, but Caramel; a bear; found me and fed me and gave me some money to start me off."

"But how did you end up working here?"

"I needed to work. I didn't know what the job even was when I applied for it, but the pay is good, and I live in luxury here."

"What actually is your job?"

"King Riordan describes me as a 'femme fatale', but I don't think that's right because I don't kill anyone..."

"Then what do you do?" Edmund inquired, puzzled as to how her job in the castle could be so important that King Riordan had made her the first person the company had met on arrival at the castle.

"I have to get information out of people...normally about the state of their army or any weaknesses the country has..."

"...I see..." Edmund paused as this information slotted into place. "You are essentially...a spy..."

"Well, no...I don't listen in on people's conversations; I just ask them questions after they've had a few drinks."

Edmund let it drop. "Do you like it here? Are you happy?" He asked suddenly.

"Of course not." She responded with a slight laugh that alarmed the two brothers. It was not Felicity's usual happy laugh but rather an empty one; devoid of meaningful emotion. "How could I be? I am the most sought-after woman in Gardania. I party until the early hours of the morning; I wear a new dress every day; and then a new one every night. I have expensive jewellery made to my liking. All of the servants are at my beck and call. I have a good life here...but it's a lonely life...King Riordan will not let me converse with "commoners". The only people I speak to other than the male version of me are a few of the servants and the shop owners I go to. It's in my job description not to fall in love. Which I don't want to do anyway." She added, looking down as Peters eyes snapped to hers. "But it'd still be nice to have the freedom to do it..."

"Why not come back to Narnia with us?" Asked Edmund suddenly.

"You know I can't do that..." Felicity said angrily, her voice hushed as though she hoped Peter would not hear her.

Edmund watched her for a minute, "We all miss you Felicity. Lucy was devastated when we broke the news."

"People come and go." She told him shortly. She walked over to her dressing table and aimlessly fiddled with her jewellery, her back turned to the brothers as she thought for a moment about Lucy.

"I'll leave you two...I'm sure you have a lot to discuss..." Edmund said suddenly. Felicity wanted to beg him not to go; not to leave her with the man she hated the most in the world, but she could do nothing but listen as the door closed behind Edmund.

A tense atmosphere now remained between Peter and Felicity, the silence broken only by an occasional clink from a piece of jewellery. She was aware of his eyes on her; boring into her back as she resolutely tried to get a knot out of one of her necklaces.

"You look beautiful." He said suddenly, making her jump. It was so good to hear his voice again. If he said a certain thing, she knew she'd burst into tears. "Your hair...it's longer, it reaches your hips now."

Meaningless talk.

"You look great as well." She responded bravely, trying desperately to steady the quiver in her voice. "How are Susan and Lucy?" She asked; figuring that conversation about anyone but herself and Peter was best.

"Fine. They're upset and angry at me-" Felicity let out a shiver of nervous laughter at his words, "but otherwise they're fine." His voice was getting louder; she knew he was coming closer to her.

She turned to face him quickly, looking her demon in the eyes. "That's good to hear. Please give them my love." He nodded and the two studied each other for a moment as he still walked slowly closer. His eyes roamed her face as hers roamed his...his hair was slightly longer and cleaner than it had been at the battle field. She couldn't read the emotions on his face; just like she couldn't read her own emotions now he was here. She turned back around and took a deep breath, still fiddling with the diamond necklace. "And...how is...Queen...Marchella?" Her words were halting and stilted. She fought back the sick feeling in her throat as she said the hateful name. She'd had months to think things through and she knew her own misfortunes were not the fault of Marchella who had only been obeying orders; but the only other person to blame was Peter and that was so much easier. She'd previously convinced herself that what she'd felt for Peter wasn't love, but that conviction was fading now that she was in his noble company again.

Peter was completely silent behind her. She could sense him; she knew he was standing less than a foot from her.

"Felicity." He whispered. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning back around. He was so close; his eyes were hovering above hers.

Peter moved in slowly to kiss her, but she jerked her head back suddenly and walked onto her balcony without looking at him as the tears were already falling down her cheeks. She knew he'd follow. She swung her legs over the balustrade and sat down with her back to him.

"You can't just do that, Peter. You've only been married two months." She looked over her shoulder at him.

There was another lengthy pause before he quietly replied. "I still love you."

At his words she almost broke down. A sob escaped her and she clasped a trembling hand to her mouth.

"You ruined what we had, Peter." She told him, tears streaming down her face.

"I know. But don't speak in past tense, we still have it. I know we do." He sounded like he was crying, but Felicity couldn't worry about Peter's emotions, after all, he hadn't worried about hers that day on the battle field.

"No!" She cried. "We don't. Don't you see? I don't love you anymore!" She screamed the words at him, persuading herself as much as him.

"I know you do! Because I still love you..."

She stood up on the balcony balustrade and teetered on the edge for a moment. Peter raised his arms towards her in alarm, scared to leave her unaided, and scared to touch her.

"You ruined it." She sobbed, looking down with blurry vision. "I could be dead in a second... everything's so...fragile. Don't you realise that? We were special. And you ruined it!" At the last word she jumped back into the balcony and walked past Peter and out of her room; not even stopping to put on shoes.

Her sobs echoed through the castle corridors as she walked quickly to the gardens. Guards and servants stared subtly out of the corners of their eyes but no-one approached Felicity. Like she'd told Edmund; her life was a lonely one. Why did they have to turn up and ruin everything? She had herself sorted out before he turned up...new name, new clothes...new life.

The grass was dry beneath her feet as she stood looking out into the approaching dusk. Her teeth were chattering and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively.

"Where are your shoes?" Asked Edmunds voice behind her.

"I don't know..." She replied, turning to face him. He stared into her eyes for a moment as though trying to figure out what'd been said between them.

"Here let me give you mine." He said suddenly, bending down to loosen his boots. She started to protest weakly, "I insist." He smiled. Placing his boots in front of her feet he held out his arm for her to hold onto as she stepped into them.

"And take my cloak..." He slung his heavy cloak around her shoulders and fastened the gold chain around her neck. She looked ridiculously small in his things. The boots reached up to her knees and the cloak reached the floor and was so large it was slipping off one of her shoulders already.

"All fixed up now, yes?" He asked kindly. She shook her head miserably before taking a deep breath and speaking with a shaky voice.

"What do you do if someone you love lets you down? Really fucks you over?" Felicity had quickly learned not to swear in this world as people rarely understood that the word was rude and would instead inquire as to its meaning, but Edmund knew the word even if he did not use it.

He looked deep into her eyes for a moment. His own eyes were a melted chocolate brown; completely the opposite of Peters electric blue. "You must try to stop loving them." He finally said, looking at the floor sadly.

"And...is that possible?"

"No...I don't think so.." He replied after another lengthy pause. His expression was pained as he continued; his words slow and halting. "You know, he really does love you." Felicity looked at him in expectation; she was not willing to just take Edmund's word on it, no matter how much she trusted him. "About a week after you left we were staying at Anvard and he got drunk. I've never seen him so drunk...at first he was angry at you for leaving and he got so angry he started smashing things up. Then when I restrained him he started crying and pining for you and saying that he's nothing without your love." Edmund stopped speaking abruptly and looked down at the floor. He'd seen Felicity's surprise and distress at what he'd just said; he didn't need her to confirm her feelings for Peter. "He called you his drug and his antidote. I don't see why you can't just be together." He finished; a trace of sourness in his voice that Felicity missed in her own sorrow.

"It's not that easy, Ed. You'll understand when you fall in love." She whispered before slipping off his cloak and stepping out of his shoes and running back in doors and leaving the bitter Edmund behind her.


	19. Festivals Aren't Always Fun

_Ok everyone, I think I've been pretty good this time! It's only been a few weeks since my last update which is a major achievement for me! This isn't a particularly long chapter and I'm not actually very proud of it, but who know, some of you may like it! As always please review because it makes me happy and we all need a little happiness! Enjoy! _

"You wanted to see me Your Highness?"

"Ah, Lolita, do come in!"

Felicity turned and shut the door behind her before walking towards the King.

"Now then, it would appear my dear that you're in a bit of a pickle!" He paused for effect, looking at her expectantly.

"I don't understand, Sir."

"You see," He continued quickly, eager to see her reactions and tell her what he knew, "I saw your spectacle with the Lone Islanders earlier, and I also happen to know that they are in fact Narnian Kings in disguise." He paused again, but this time Felicity didn't reply. "So, naturally, I did some digging, and the name Felicity came up. You wouldn't happen to know of this Felicity would you?"

Felicity stood frozen, her mind blank.

"But of course you do! Because _you are Felicity!_ I even heard King Edmund call out your name yesterday as you were running away! Everyone has of course heard of Lady Felicity, desperately in love with and loved by High King Peter, who tragically married Tarkaheena Marchella to end the rash war started by a rejected Rabadash...and everyone has of course heard the stories of Felicity's powers to magically kill using the element water..."

Her brain began to function again and she adopted the innocent approach, widening her eyes at him. "I don't know what you're talking about..." She trailed off, shaking her head gently at him.

He gave her a smile and cocked his head to one side. "Ah, Felicity. Stop lying; you're lies have been discovered – so just stop."

"I don't - "

"Silence!" He bellowed at her. She took a step back in alarm.

"You now have no choice in your future. You now work completely for Gardania and I expect you to do whatever I ask."

Felicity raised her chin defiantly after she'd spent a moment seriously considering the best way to respond. "You can't make me do anything! I've been improving my magic and there is nothing you can do to force me to obey you! How unfortunate it is for you that I'm not even from this world! I have no relatives here, no one I care about enough to have you blackmail me into obedience!" She practically sneered at him as she mocked his ridiculous theory.

The King gave a cruel smile. "There is always King Peter." Felicity's smile froze on her face. "You love him enough to obey me. And King Edmund, and Queen Susan, and Queen Lucy, in fact, all Narnians. If you refuse my commands I will wage war on Narnia whilst it is still weak from the battle with Calormen. In fact...I think I'll start a war with Archenland now...might as well kill two birds with one stone! Those that you love will be dead within a week."

Felicity swallowed drily. "You are forgetting that I will fight with the Narnians. Now that I am stronger my participation alone is worth 20,000 soldiers."

"This is true..." the King trailed off as he stood and walked around his desk to Felicity, his hands clasped behind his back. "Guards..." He called out, and within seconds a guard was tightly gripping each of Felicity's arms. She resisted the urge to blast them off with magic; she needed to know what Riordan was planning.

He tilted his head and surveyed her for a moment before swinging his right arm towards her and pricking her in the neck with a needle.

She gasped at the suddenness of it and the small prick of pain she felt. He smiled at her suddenly as the guards released her. "On the point of this needle was a special sleeping drought. Within 15 minutes you will fall asleep for 3 days. In the mean time, I am going to have King Edmund killed, just to show you I mean business. If you don't do as I say, Narnia and its three surviving royals will be my next target. Enjoy your last 15 minutes awake my dear." He was watching her expectantly; waiting to see what she'd do to defy him.

Felicity clenched her fist and made the guards blood boil within a second. The Guards released her arms as they fell to the floor, their faces draining of colour as the heat she had caused in their bodies was replaced by the stone cold of death. She immediately ran out of the room; hearing the King chuckling behind her as the door swung shut. She had to find Edmund and warn him. Running down the castle steps she wondered exactly how long it had been since he'd pierced her with his sleeping drought. 3 minutes? 5?

She could hear the noises of the festival, loud music, loud laughter, loud voices. Seconds later she was amongst thousands of people.

She ran through the edge of the festival quickly, searching frantically for Peter. To her left and to her right she could see Gardanian guards making their way towards her, fighting against the crowd. She ran forwards, able to slip through small gaps that the guards couldn't.

"PETER!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, ignoring the people who turned to stare at her. A guard loomed up in front of her and she punched him in the face without hesitating, brushing past him before he had time to recover. "PETER!" She screamed again, sobbing now at the hopelessness of her search. She clutched her hands to her head as the loudness of the happy crowd pounded her ears and she was hit by people on all sides as they struggled to see the festivals' carnival clearly. She was feeling lightheaded, was it the drought having an effect on her?

She looked up again, desperate to escape the oppressive crowd and find Peter and Edmund. Seeing a nearby guard searching over the heads of the crowd she gathered her strength and starting weaving through the crowd again with her head down. Whilst Peter blended into the people around him, she and Edmund stood out strongly with their dark hair and eyes.

"EDMUND!" She screamed, looking for the other brunette among all of the light haired Gardanians. "PETER!" Her throat was already hoarse from the shouting and crying. Up above her she saw her maid, Hillary, in a cart that was serving as a higher level for those who couldn't see the carnival. Hillary stared at Felicity for a moment before recognising her and, tapping the young man next to her on the shoulder to get his attention, pointed Felicity out. The young man offered Felicity his hand and she fought through the crowd to cover the short distance between them before taking his hand. He pulled her up onto the cart between them easily and Felicity gulped in the cooler air now that she was out of the crowd.

"What's wrong, Lolita?" Hillary yelled in her ear.

Felicity swayed on the spot slightly, this was definitely the drought taking effect. "I can't find Peter." She chocked out, trying to catch her breath.

"Who?" Hillary asked. Felicity ignored her and instead looked out over the heads of the people before her. Her eyes were almost immediately drawn to a tall brunette and his even taller blonde companion.

"PETER!" She screamed in their direction louder than any of her previous screams. He looked from one side to the other at her shout, finally turning around completely and seeing her.

She jumped down and started to make her way towards him the best she could. She could see Edmunds brunette mop slowly making its way towards her until she finally ran straight into Peter who was ahead of his brother.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked her worriedly, grabbing her shoulders as her world spun and they were both pushed and shoved by Gardanians on all sides.

"You have to leave! Get out before King Riordan kills you!"

"Why would he do that? He-"

He knows who you are!" She sobbed. The lanterns were swimming slightly in Felicity's view and she tried to concentrate on Peters face.

Edmund and Peter exchanged a glance quickly.

"Come on, there's an empty street over there..." Edmund said, inclining his head to a dark street to his right. He grabbed one of Felicity's hands, and Peter held her other so they wouldn't lose each other as they battled through the crowd.

"Start again." Edmund told her as they reached the street.

"King Riordan knows who you are, and who I am, and about my magic. He's going to make me obey him and kill people with my magic, but I told him I wouldn't, and he pierced me with a needle with stuff on its tip, and-" Felicity grabbed onto Peter as her dizziness threatened to overwhelm her. He grasped her shoulders again, holding her up as her weak body almost collapsed.

"And what?"

"- he said he's going to kill Edmund and use your life to blackmail me Peter, and... Archenland...he'll go to war with...and..." She slumped down completely unconscious, only staying off the ground because of Peter holding her up.

"We have to get out of here." Peter told Edmund, swinging Felicity up and over his shoulder.

"We need to warn King Lune. She said something about war."

"Okay...we cannot return to the castle...you find King Lune, I'll take Felicity and try and secure us some horses from somewhere...if I'm successful, I'll meet you at the bridge. Give me all of your money..." Peter said, manoeuvring his hold on Felicity so that Edmund could transfer his money from his own pockets to Peter's. "Be quick." The two brothers separated, Edmund quickly being swept away in the crowd again and Peter disappearing in the dark alley.


	20. Bargain Your Hardest

_Thanks soooo much everyone for your reviews and I've had loads of users adding the story to their favourites and alerts so thanks! It's nice to know the story is liked! I'm afraid this isn't a particularly interesting chapter but I'm very tired and I will hopefully update again within a week! As always, please review. Enjoy! _

Peter could see a quiet tavern right next to the bridge; presumably everyone was at the festival. Swearing under his breath he regretted sending Edmund back into the crowd; he was the one who Riordan had threatened to kill. Peter should've gone to look for Lune because he could blend into the crowd; but then again he had to look after Felicity... He carefully put Felicity on the ground in the taverns shadows and covered her in his cloak before opening the creaky wooden door.

"Excuse me. I would like to inquire as to where I could buy some horses?" He politely asked the bartender, twirling a silver coin between his fingers nonchantly.

The bartenders eyes flicked to the coin and then back to Peters face. "Al's place. 5 minutes walk west."

"Thank you." Peter said, flipping the coin over his shoulder as he turned to leave. Checking Felicity was still in the taverns shadows he ran off west as quickly as he could.

The money was jingling as he ran...he must have a good 600 gold coins in total...that was enough to buy 2 strong horses or 3 mediocre ones...

He tried to calculate how this would work...Edmund would need a good horse – as it was his life that'd been threatened. Aravis and Cor could share...he and Felicity would share...King Lune would quite possibly need his own horse...which left Corin alone. Perhaps Edmund and Corin could share...with relief he remembered his daggers; one in his left boot and the other strapped to his upper right arm. They were both hand made by dwarfs and worth at least 1000 gold each. He let out a nervous bark of laughter. They were saved! Smelling horse dung he slowed down and studied his surroundings before spying a small house to his left.

"Hello!" He called out, making his way towards the house and then the stables as a door opened and light spilled out.

"Who's there? What d'ya want?" A gruff, unfriendly voice demanded.

"I wish to buy some horses..." Peter trailed off, the light blinding him.

"Aw, yeah? Bit late enit?"

"Business is business." Peter replied frankly, walking into the stable and blinking rapidly to adjust his eyes. There were roughly twenty horses there and Peter could see that they were kept in pristine condition.

"I don't have much money-" He started, turning to look at Al. The man had a stooped back and was blind in one eye...no doubt from a horse kick.

"No money, no business." Al immediately said.

"-but I have something that is worth a lot of money..." he immediately pulled the dagger from his boot and held it up to the candle light for Al to see. "Dwarf-made. Real gold, real rubies and it's not even a year old."

Al's good eye fixed beadily on the dagger and he gently ran a finger along it..."How many horses you looking for?" He asked, licking his lips.

"5 or 6. They need to be good."

Al scoffed. "That dagger alone ent enough for 6 good horses!"

"And I'll give you 200 gold."

"400." Al bargained.

"250."

"350."

"300."

"Done!" Peter smiled and turned to pick out his horses. "This one...and this one...and those two...that one...and that one." He said, pointing to each horse in turn as he walked the length of the stable. "Do you sell saddles?"

"Normally." Said Al, leading out the fourth horse Peter had pointed out. "But I just sold out, only ones I got left are 10 lightweight ones...only suitable for training..."

"I'll take them." Peter said. "I'll give you 200 gold for 6."

"Done." Said Al, grinning gleefully. They were really only worth 20 gold each.

Peter pulled a handful of coins from a pocket and started counting whilst Al sorted out the 6 horses. "Ok. There's 500 gold and the dagger." He told him. "Do you want to count it?"

Al looked at him shrewdly for a moment... "naw. You look like an honest person. I've tied the horses in a chain together..."

Peter smiled and thanked Al before mounting the horse at the front of the chain and nudging him into a walk.

When he finally reached the tavern and bridge he saw Edmund standing with all of the Archenlanders.

"I've got enough horses for us all. Wait a moment whilst I just get Felicity from the shadows." Peter dismounted and handed the reins of the first horse over to Edmund before jogging the few metres to the tavern.

Treading carefully he bent double and felt for Felicity cautiously, walking further into the shadows as he felt nothing.

"Hurry, Peter!" Edmund called in a stage whisper.

"I can't find her!" Peter called back, his search becoming frantic as he still found nothing. "You all go on, wait on the other side of the bridge and I'll join you once I've found her!"

"Pete-"

"Go!" Peter urged, trying another section of the shadows.

After a pause he heard the steady rhythm of horse hooves travelling away. After a moment he realised the hoof beats were becoming louder and instinctively crouched by the side of the tavern, invisible in the darkness.

The mystery guests came from the North, the same direction Peter had first come from. He desperately wanted to look around the corner of the tavern, but resisted the urge as he heard several booted feet hitting the ground. Curiosity had killed many people. "Hold the horses." A man's voice said. Peter immediately identified him as King Riordan. The King had come to greet him after Felicity had run out of the room.

"Yes, Sir." Was the response.

Peter finally worked up the courage to peek around the corner and saw a young soldier minding four horses. Taking a coin from his pocket as quietly as possible, Peter flicked his wrist and sent the coin skittering past the guard. The young man paused a moment before looping each horses reins over a hook and setting off to investigate. Peter immediately went to the tavern door and listened at the crack.

"-so glad you sent me a pigeon...I think you deserve a reward! Here's 10 gold coins." Purred the King's voice from the other side of the door.

"Thank you Sir!" Was the tavern owners response. "I'll just get her for you!"

A short silence ensued before the King spoke again. "Send Magwitch to me as soon as we're back at the castle. I need him to create another potion for me and brew another sleeping drought. Just in case."

Peter threw another coin in the same direction as the last; worried that the soldier would return and see him.

"Yes, Sir."

"Here she is your Majesty. Found her just lying in the shadows..."

"Thank you again, James. I'm afraid we must leave now and get a doctor to check her over...I don't want to risk anything!"

"Of course my Majesty! Pleasure to be able to help you!"

Peter jumped back around the corner of the tavern as footsteps approached the door.

"Take her on your horse, Prewett!" Came the Kings annoyed voice.

As the noise of horse hooves died away Peter ran to his own horse and raced across the bridge, skidding to a halt beside Edmund and the Narnians.

"Where's Felicity?" Edmund immediately asked.

"King Riordan's got her. I need to stay behind and -"

"- Pete, you can't-"

"- I need to rescue her! I'll lie low for a few weeks and bring her back to Narnia at the first opportunity. You need to go back Ed, tell Susan and Lucy what's going on and keep the army on alert; if I am successful in bringing Felicity home we can expect trouble. "I still have about 100 gold coins...that should be enough for food and accommodation for a few weeks..."

"Here m'boy; take a few more...here's 200." Said King Lune, drawing two pouches from one of his many pockets. "Some payment towards the horses and your kindness." He added. "I hope you find the young Lady. We best be off..."

"I'll stay with you, Pete-" Edmund started to protest.

"No." Peter's voice was sharper than he intended. "I order you to return to Narnia Edmund!"

There was a short pause as Edmund unwillingly obeyed the High King's rules. "Bye, Pete. If you're not back within a month I'll come looking for you..." He finally said.

"Bye, Ed."

As the four instantly disappeared into the darkness Peter turned his own horse and trotted back across the bridge, his thoughts on only Felicity now.


	21. Wedding Plans

_YESSSS I've been good! I've updated after only a week aaaand this is a long chapter! (Well...my idea of a long chapter...) Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, there were loads of you and its really inspiring and lovely. Please review etc, enjoy!_

Felicity felt awful. Cracking her eyes open she identified the room as her own after a few seconds and then gladly noticed a goblet of wine on her bedside table. Sitting up she took a gulp of it; wincing at its disgusting taste. It must have gone stagnant in the night...

She ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. She felt as though she hadn't slept in days! She ran her hand through her hair again...why was her hair greasy?

She shrugged it off and downed the revolting drink in one.

Throwing back the sheets she swung her legs out of bed and observed the metal thing around her ankles; following with her eyes a connecting link to a bolt in the middle of her floor. It was a moment before she realised exactly what it was and what had happened last night...or rather...three days ago...

Giving a scream she jumped up and tried to run for the door before promptly falling over. She rolled onto her back and began clawing at her chains frantically as she heard footsteps on the other side of her door.

Too quickly her door opened and she looked up at King Riordan. He walked straight over to her bedside table and examined the contents of the now empty goblet.

"I see you have discovered your shackles." He said, still looking into the goblet.

"Yes. They came as quite a surprise to me. Now I'm sure this is just a little misunderstanding-" She said smoothly, trying to look seductive with greasy hair.

"No misunderstanding. I do not want you leaving your room. Not until the wedding at least..." He finally placed the goblet down looked her in the eye.

"And what wedding would that be?" She asked irritably.

"Why, our wedding of course." He walked slowly past her and back to the door.

"Our...wedding?" The words weren't currently making sense...when had she agreed to marry him?

"Yes, we are to be married in a week."

"Who says so?" She demanded.

"I do. As King I can chose my wife from all single ladies in my court."

"Don't I have any say in this?" She asked, wrinkling her brow in confusion. Exactly when did this happen...? She cast her mind back to their last conversation three days ago...there'd been a lot of killing talk...but nothing about weddings or love...

"No. You will marry me, else I shall wage war on Narnia." She opened her mouth to give a smarmy reply about her magic, but he crouched down close to her face and cut her off. "And, don't even think of running away to fight with them. Without you they will surely lose, and you are unable to use your magic as you have just drunk a special potion that stops your magic from working. For weeks. Go ahead. Try it out..." He straightened up, a triumphant look on his face as Felicity attempted (and failed) to subtly do magic. "It's such a shame it has to be this way...I would've loved to have seen you do magic...Ah well. You should be pleased you are marrying me. I have never had an employee as beautiful as you...I normally have each girl killed off after a few years...after all, I can't have them committing treason against me..."

Although she already vaguely knew this it was different to hear the confession from his lips. She was by this point looking rather like a goldfish. "You're a monster..." She whispered.

"And you're a beautiful one!" He retaliated. "What about all of those Calormene you killed? It wasn't a fair fight because you used magic!"

"How dare you preach to me about fair fights when you have me chained like a circus animal!" She cried, jumping up to confront him.

He suddenly gave a smile and Felicity went cold at his sudden change in mood again. She knew now that he was a psychopath; she was unable to predict what he would do next; and for that reason she was more scared of him than just about anyone else.

"From now on your name is Lolita Amara. The dressmaker will be here tomorrow for your wedding dress fitting. You will be given that potion every week; either willingly or by force. If you take it willingly; then you will be rewarded with a little more freedom. I will see you tomorrow, Lolita."

In a last display of defiance Felicity picked up the empty goblet and threw it at his retreating back and yelled at the top of her lungs, "My name is Felicity!" The goblet hit the door behind Riordan with a clang and rolled back across the floor towards her.

Felicity heard someone knock at her door but she ignored it, too angry and frightened to be polite. She sat huddled on the floor by the side of her bed that was furthest from the door and from her position; only the top of her head was visible to her guest. She had taken to sitting on the floor and had sat in the same spot all night long, unable to sleep and unable to cry.

Two people stood directly in front of her for a moment before someone spoke. "You can go. No man can see her dress until the wedding." Booted feet faded away and Felicity gradually looked up and saw Jennifer and Hillary.

"Oh, Miss..." Said Hillary, gently hauling Felicity to her feet by her upper arms as the younger girl suddenly gave a great sob and burst into tears as she was comforted by her two employees who'd become two of her only friends. "Don't cry Miss, all is not lost!"

Felicity's words were almost incoherent as Hillary released her from a hug. "Of course all is lost! I'm marrying someone I hate! I hate him I hate him I hate him! And...I'm scared of him.." She admitted, cupping her face in her hands tearfully.

"Nonsense!" Said Hillary very loudly, indicating Jennifer towards Felicity with her head. "Now, let me get some of the materials out..." She continued in the same loud voice before going over to large bundles on Felicity's desk and unwrapping the first one from its brown paper with a lot of loud rustling.

Jennifer stepped closer to Felicity and brought out a letter from underneath her cloak. It was addressed to Felicity and she immediately recognised the writing.

"King Peter came to my shop two days ago and asked me to give you this at the first opportunity." She told Felicity in a whisper. "He said he has enough money left to stay for a month." Felicity grabbed the letter suddenly, intent on reading it. "No, not now! We've only been given 30 minutes to make a start on your dress. Read it tonight."

Felicity nodded that she understood.

Jennifer went to the door and opening it a crack spoke to one of the guards. "We need a stool for her to stand on."

Felicity tried to walk quietly to her bed and hid the letter in her pillow case as Jennifer walked back to her.

"Now, I need to check your measurements again and see what design and what material you want..." She said with a smile as she took of her travelling cloak.

Felicity carefully took the letter out of her pillow case and slid to the floor in her usual spot on the other side of the bed. Her shackles restricted all of her movements; she could no longer even cross her legs. She forgot this for a moment and attempted to before giving up and putting both of her legs to one side. With one last, secretive glance around the moonlit room she opened Peter's letter.

_Dear Felicity_

_I am at The Squirrel Inn on the North border._

_Please come._

_With all my love, Peter._

Felicity lent her head back against her bed for a moment before reading the letter again. She climbed back onto her bed and hid the letter before lying down and wracking her brain for a plan.


	22. Who Says Marriage Is About Love?

_Ok so it's been a couple of weeks since my last update which isn't amazing...but for me it's pretty good! This is a particularly long or special chapter but it's for the storyline! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favourited or alerted the story...it's always encouraging to know that people like your story. Please do all this again everyone and I PROMISE I will update again soon! Enjoy!_

"You wanted to speak to me?" Asked the King, striding into her room with a swaggering confidence.

"Yes." She said, rising before him and, gathering all of her acting skills she sauntered towards him, fluttering her eyelashes. "I have been thinking about our conversation...I understand that our wedding is tomorrow?"

Riordan nodded. "2 o'clock."

She walked slowly towards him, her shackles making her steps small. "Well...after much thought and deliberation I have decided that being married to you is much nicer than being dead...but..." The King rolled his eyes at the last word. "But I have the small problem of respect. You see my King, you do not respect me, and that has been proven by your treatment of me. In my culture every new husband goes through a waiting period of a month where their new wife will cleanse herself of any past infatuations so that she can solely love her husband. If you respect me enough to let me have this short waiting period...then I will marry you and drink your potion willingly." She finished her proposition and stood looking up at him with big eyes.

"And what does this waiting period include?"

"I would need to leave the castle straight from the wedding and go to a tavern that is the closest to a waterfall. I need to bathe in the waterfall pool everyday for a total of 3 hours. I realise that this is not convenient...but you need not fear me running away. I know that you will give me a guard for protection and to keep me in Gardania; but they cannot watch me bathe...I will not run though...I know that you will start a war with Narnia if I do..."

She could see the King considering her words and mulling everything over in his head.

Felicity's heart had long ago forgotten how to beat normally and it was not doing so now. She realised she'd been holding her breath and tried to quietly exhale and inhale what her lungs craved.

She moved her face closer to his slowly, almost lazily. "If you allow me to do this; I will return in a month and continue to aid Gardania in any way you want...whatever you want." She whispered after a pause, gently kissing his cheek suggestively.

"There is a waterfall on the North border...I believe the closest tavern is The Squirrel. You are in luck my Queen-to-be, that tavern is one of Gardania's best. I will make arrangements for you and have the blacksmith remove your shackles tomorrow so that you may walk unhindered."

Thank you my King." She purred. "I will see you tomorrow..."

Hillary tentatively patted Felicity's purple dress the next morning. All she had to do was walk up the streets to the castle and Riordan would do the rest for her. Hillary carefully tied the sash around Felicity's waist, pulling on the ends tightly to silhouette her figure even more. Her neck was already aching from the very large and heavy white headdress that had taken Hillary two hours to securely place in her hair and she was staring at herself blankly in the mirror as doubts ran through her mind about her plan.

"Could you leave me for a minute?" Felicity asked Hillary without turning her head to look at the woman for fear the headdress would wobble off. Hillary nodded at her and walked out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her. As part of the ceremony included Felicity walking up to the castle, she was currently in Duke Ryan's guest room and she was glad of the unfamiliar setting in which she had no memories of herself and Riordan ever being together.

Feeling her resolve crumble Felicity unsteadily sang a few words from her favourite musical in the hope of rebuilding her assurance and poise. "Inside my heart is breaking. My make-up may be flaking, but my smile still stays on." Her voice shook uncontrollably and every syllable was off-key but Felicity took no notice and continued to sing the last note for as long as her tight sash would allow her. A single tear trickled down her cheek and she dabbed at her face with a tissue before fixing her smile permanently.

As she slowly walked unaccompanied down the streets the Gardanian people lined the street and leant out of windows to cheer as she passed. Guards stood every few metres to keep the crowd off the road as she walked slowly, her head held high in a stately manner as her professional smile never wavered.

She finally reached King Riordan who stood on the front steps of the castle. He had a real smile on his face as he stared at her and Felicity repeated the words of her song in her head.

_Inside my heart is breaking. My make-up may be flaking, but my smile still stays on. _

Riordan carefully removed her white headdress and flung it into a nearby bowl of wine. The white feathers and satin and suede immediately stained. Felicity swallowed, she'd studied English Literature back in England and she knew what that was symbolic for. Riordan took off her left glove and slid a ring on her fourth finger before turning Felicity to face the crowd. "I now present to you your Queen. Mrs Lolita Decander. Queen of Gardania.

The watching crowd cheered and Felicity would've attempted to give her winning smile if her professional one were not still stretching her lips unbearably. Only a few hours till she saw Peter.

"I am afraid that our new Queen cannot stay for our celebrations as she must go through a private religious ceremony...but fear not! For tonight; food and drink is free all over Gardania!" This elicited an even bigger cheer from the crowd.

At that moment an elaborately decorated carriage drew up between the steps and the cheering crowd. King Riordan graciously helped Felicity into the carriage. "I will see you in a month."

"Goodbye." She said to him, amazed that she had managed to smile continuously for half an hour when she felt so miserable. There was certainly no love between them.

As the carriage drew away Felicity smiled and waved at people through her carriage windows before collapsing back with a sigh. For a moment Felicity was worried her face had frozen permanently in this fake smile for as she relaxed against her seat her smile remained on her face, but as people's cheers subsided her smile vanished and was replaced by a dull ache from her tired facial muscles. For a month she was free of King Riordan and his manic changes of mood. Looking around the carriage she tried to count her guards; in a large carriage behind her came all of her luggage and her maid Hillary who was the only other female in the group. Her job was to help Felicity prepare for the day as usual and to act as a lookout when the male guards could not. Behind Hillary's carriage came four guards all on horseback and then there were two more guards on horseback in front of her own carriage. Remembering Tommy's words from a while ago she counted the carriage drivers as guards in disguise.

She relaxed back in her seat again. 8 guards was easy to cope with.


	23. Surprises Are Never Good

_Ok so my resolution to try and do one update a week completely failed! But here's the next chapter anyway! Thank you to everyone who review, alerted and favourite the story last time. I really hope you all enjoy it; as always please review, it makes me happy! _

The Squirrel tavern was certainly one of the best in Gardania; at 5 storeys high Felicity could tell just by its outside that it was the equivalent of a small hotel in England. The carriage driver opened her door for her and helped her down whilst three of the guards started to unload her luggage. "This way your Highness." Said one of the guards, holding the door open for her. She swept inside with Hillary close behind her and three guards following them.

The tavern owner immediately came out from behind the bar; wiping his hands on his apron. "Your majesty." He said in such a low voice Felicity had to strain her ears. "I am so glad you have chosen my humble tavern..." He bowed low to her and kissed the back of her hand. "I will order some of my servants to help carry your bags."

"Yes." Felicity said shortly, looking around the tavern slowly as though taking in the decor. She was sure she recognised that girl on the table to the left...and there was Peter... he had his eyes fixed on her and she was forced to look away quickly in case one of the guards followed her gaze. "My maid and I are in need of refreshments. Please bring wine and fruit to my room in 10 minutes."

"Of course your Majesty. And here is the key to your room; will your maid be keeping it?"

Felicity took the key from him. "I cannot tell if this says room 21, or room 27." She declared in a loud voice. "Hillary, which do you think it is?" She asked her, holding the numbered wooden tag out to Hillary; in clear view of Peter.

"21 my Lady."

"Begging your pardon; it is my wretched writing your Highness." The tavern owner grovelled.

"Well, lead the way." She told him.

He immediately scurried away and Felicity and her entourage followed him.

Much later that evening Felicity dismissed Hillary to her own room after the two had dined on roasted pheasant and discussed whether or not Hillary's brother should marry the butchers daughter or her cousin; both of whom he was infatuated with.

Felicity had the largest room in the tavern; as soon as you came through the door you were in her living room and dining room area, through a door at the end of this was Felicity's bedroom and balcony and through a door to the left was her wardrobe. Once Hillary had gone to her own room Felicity sat brushing her hair at her dressing table when a soft thump alerted her to someone behind her. Seeing his reflection in the mirror she turned in her chair to check he was real before running into Peters arms.

The Narnian King and Gardanian Queen kissed frantically. Peter ran his hands up her back and tangled his fingers in her long hair whilst she continually ran her fingers through his.

They drew apart panting slightly before kissing again.

"Felicity." He whispered her name and she hid her face in his chest, breathing in his smell contentedly. He smelt her hair before hugging her so tightly she couldn't breathe; but she didn't mind. Even being in Peter's company and not breathing felt more natural than anything had for the last 2 months. "I've missed you so much."

"I love you." She whispered back, her voice muffled in his chest. He was the same as when she'd left him; same body, same smell, same eyes.

They finally broke their embrace and Peter clasped her hand as they sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Is Edmund ok? Did he get away in time?" She asked worriedly as they sat facing each other.

"He's fine." Peter reassured her as he stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs. "He – what's this?" He asked suddenly, focusing on the wedding ring she'd forgotten to remove. "You're married!" Peter dropped her hands and jumped up; his voice a mixture of shock, anger and disbelief. "To whom?" He suddenly demanded, turning to face her with nothing but anger in his face.

"King Riordan." She told him in a very quiet and small voice after a lengthy pause. Unable to meet Peter's gaze she instead stared at the floor.

"King Riordan." He repeated in astonishment. "But you're mine!"

"I am not a possession to own!" She immediately cried in defiance, upset that the perfect reunion she had formed in her mind to keep her going had backfired so badly because of a piece of metal.

"How long are you married?" He demanded; his jaw tight with fury.

"Since this morning."

Peter seemed to mull her words over a moment. "Have you slept with him?" He suddenly asked. His voice was brusque and his rage was still evident but his face had taken on a hopeful look.

"So what, you no longer want me if I am not a perfect virgin?" She cried, jumping up angrily and stalking to the doors that lead onto her now open balcony. She slammed the doors shut and added irately, "and no, I have not slept with him!"

Her eyes were fixed on his as relief spread across his features and he crossed the room quickly and clasped her tightly to his chest again.

"Thank goodness." He whispered into her ear. "It is not whether or not you are a pure that bothers me, but now all is not lost, once we're back in Narnia we can have the marriage annulled!"

"Back in Narnia?" She wriggled out of his embrace at his words. "You know that's not going to happen! Have my marriage annulled and accompany you back to Narnia where I can watch you play happy families with your new bride? I really don't think so Peter!" She turned her back on him and sat down on her bed again.

After a moment he sat down next to her.

"I...I have not been back to Cair Paravel since that day. I did not stay at Cair Paravel on my wedding night and I have not seen Marchella since accompanying her back to Cair Paravel."

Now it was Felicity's turn to mull things over whilst Peter anxiously awaited her reaction.

"So you have not slept with her?" Peter shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair tiredly.

He looked up and was unprepared as she practically jumped on him in her urgency to kiss him. Peter, who's own vision of their reunion had been ruined, wrapped his arms around her as they both leant back on the bed before completely rolling off with a thump and breathless laughter. Standing up Felicity wasted no time in unbuckling the belt around his hips as she frantically kissed him.

He drew away from her and scrutinised her face. "I this what you want?" He whispered anxiously, aware of how there could be no going back.

Her eyes were wide as she nodded decisively. This was exactly what she wanted. She had tried and failed to persuade herself that she didn't love him, and now that she was married to another man there was little she could do other than this to show him her love because they had a limited amount of time.

With one last searching gaze he kissed her and caressed her shoulders before moving his hands to her back and undoing her sash. His fingers lingered as the material fell away, slowly undoing the thin ribbon that tied her wedding dress together. Grasping onto each side of the dress he loosened the ribbon until the dress simply fell from her figure. He continued to kiss her; he'd already seen her in her petticoat before, but she had never seen him anything but fully clothed. She slid his shirt over his head as he kicked his boots off and as their kiss was forced to end he stared into her eyes again as she stroked his warm chest.

He was perfect. Too perfect. With his blue eyes, blonde hair and muscled body she could be forgiven for thinking it was perfectly possible that he was an angel.

She turned her back to him and slid her hair over one shoulder, inviting him to undress her. With hesitant fingers he reached forwards and grasped the top of the shoulder-less petticoat and, pushing the two halves together, all of the fish-hooks undone in one go. She stepped out of the circle the petticoat had created on the floor around her and brushed her hair over her back again before turning to face him with her hands by her sides. For a moment he continued to look her in the eyes, but eventually his eyes travelled down the length of her body.

He closed the distance between them in two strides and kissed her again as she untied his trousers, the only article of clothing he had left.

_Yeah so I'm no good at sex scenes...this is as far as the sex description is going to go! Review please!_


	24. The Joy Of A Noisy Waterfall

_Ok whooooooooop! It's only been 5 days and this may be the longest chapter I've ever, ever done in all of my stories! Everyone rejoice! Thankyou to the wonderful readers who reviewed the last chapter; feel free to review this one as well...Enjoy!_

The next morning Felicity lay awake thinking about the previous night. At the time she'd seen it as a disaster what with their argument and her wedding ring, but in actual fact it had all been perfect. Peter had swung down onto her balcony in true fairytale fashion, he had been furious at the thought of her belonging to another man (and she did belong, for in Gardania men and women are not equals), and then they'd had a fantastic night of love making before falling asleep in each other's arms. Now she was awake with a happy glow about her whilst he still slept on amongst all of the white sheets as the sun shone off them.

The whole thing would be a complete fairytale if they were married to each other and not committing a crime. Felicity sleepily closed her eyes again; her main concern at the moment was exactly how thick the walls were; if they were thin then her neighbours must've had an uncomfortable night. As if to prove her point she heard a faint knocking that could be coming from the room to her left. As it continued she willed the rooms lazy inhabitants to get up and answer the door. Peter seemed to have heard the knocking as well for he kissed her forehead in way of greeting before pulling her tighter up against him and nuzzling her hair. The quiet knocking continued and Peter looked up irritably.

"Your Highness? I have your breakfast. Your Highness, are you awake?" Felicity scrambled out of bed with a curse as she realised that the very faint voice was Hillary at her bedroom door, probably with a few Guards who would make sure she was still there.

She jerked the sheets off Peter and clung them to her naked form before ushering him out of the bed and (completely naked) onto the balcony. He leant against the wall beside one of the balcony doors as Felicity tried to waft the distinctive smell quickly from the room.

"Just a minute!" She cried as she picked up her wedding clothes and used them to fan fresh air into the room. "One moment!" She called out; throwing Peters clothes underneath the bed she hid the stains on the bed by throwing her wedding dress over them.

"Yes?" Peter heard her ask in a composed voice. Had she answered the door in the sheets?

"Here's your breakfast your Highness. Where shall I put it?"

"Oh...just...right here will be fine!" Felicity said with a nervous laugh. There was a slight clink followed by footsteps. "Well, as you can see I'm still here!" Felicity said with more awkward laughter. "Please excuse me, I need to get dressed...Hillary, come to my room in half an hour." The door closed but Peter still waited on the balcony; for all he knew the Guards could be in the room.

Felicity poked her head outside and laughed at him. "If anyone had looked up you'd be in a tricky situation!"

Peter pushed her back into the room slightly before pulling the sheets off her with a flourish and wrapping them around himself instead with a smug smile.

The noise of the thundering waterfall prevented any of the guards from hearing Felicity and Peter's shrieks and yells as they played in the water. Hillary had taken Felicity's clothes back to where the Guards were playing poker as they waited for Felicity to finish her spiritual commitment for the day. Her clothes would stay with the Guards until she came out of the water at 4 o'clock; this was so that she could not run away (unless she wanted to do so naked). Peter had left for the waterfall an hour before Felicity and had been waiting for her, hidden in the shrubbery until he was quite sure the Guards were not going to come back. He would give Felicity a few minutes head start before returning to the Inn and joining her in her room again for the night. They'd done exactly the same the day before, and the day before that and Peter knew that they'd continue to do it until they were forced to make their escape before Felicity's month of 'cleansing' was over.

Relishing their time together he grabbed her and kissed her briefly on the lips, water drops dribbled down both of their bodies as spray from the waterfall flew up behind them.

"Miss Lolita!" Hillary screamed at her above the noise of the waterfall, a towel and Felicity's dress in her arms. Felicity and Peter drew apart and Peter waved at Hillary who nodded back. Calling Felicity Lolita was simply a precaution in case her voice travelled back to the guards.

She put all of the material down and turned around whilst Felicity self-consciously climbed out of the water and quickly towelled herself dry. After a moment Peter followed her and she handed him the slightly damp towel as she started to pull the sides of her dress up. For her own sake Hillary remained facing the other way as Peter was still naked and Felicity had to stand in front of her as the maid tightened the strings and pulled the dress together. By the time Hillary was done it was safe for her to turn around as Peter had pulled his trousers on, but the unmarried maid still blushed at the sight of his bare chest.

"I'll see you at the Inn, Peter." Felicity said, pretending not to see Hillary's embarrassment and wringing out her long hair.

He nodded and pulled his shirt over his head. "I'll give you a few minutes head start."

"I really appreciate you covering up for me, Hillary." Felicity whispered to the young woman when they were both safely in her carriage and she was sure none of the Guards were within hearing distance. "Anything I can do to repay you, I'll do it..."

"Erm.." Hillary replied, clearly embarrassed yet again. "I wonder if...you could get my brother a job at the castle?" Her face was so hopeful and it was such a small price to pay for the happiness Hillary's subtlety and silence had brought her.

"Consider it done. Although obviously I can't do anything until I return to the castle. Is that ok?" Hillary nodded happily and Felicity went back to staring out of the carriage window.

She sat up suddenly as they passed a familiar carriage being taken in the direction of the stables. "I know that carriage!" Felicity exclaimed. Hillary strained to look out of the back window but they had already passed the stables and it was now out of their view.

"Who was it?" She asked worriedly.

Felicity swallowed nervously as she remembered where she'd seen it. "King Riordan's here." She replied, her voice shaking and filled with dread.

"Your Majesty! The King is here!" The Inn owner ran out to greet her as she was helped down the carriage steps by a guard.

"I know." She replied, sweeping past him without so much as a glance. She couldn't breathe properly. Why was he here?

She tried to calm her fears as she rationally concluded that he must simply be checking up on her and wanted only a chat. She stopped outside her own door. He'd no doubt be in there.

Hillary handed her the key and she fumbled with it for a moment before opening the door with a grand flourish, as though she expected him to be a ghost who would be frightened away by her loud and dramatic entrance. Quite the opposite, he simply looked up from pouring himself a goblet of wine and smiled creepily at her.

"Darling." He smirked. Felicity strode into the room with her head held high.

"Your Majesty." It was a custom to curtsey to the King when you saw him for the first time each day, although she didn't know if that still applied to her now that they were married.

"Would you like a drink?" He asked, gesturing to the empty goblet next to his full one as Hillary closed the door behind the Queen.

"No, thank you but I already took your vile potion yesterday." He chuckled at her response and poured her a goblet anyway.

"What are you doing here?" Felicity asked, cutting straight to the point in annoyance, her tone challenging "I asked you for a month and it has not even been a week!"

"Mmmmm, sorry about that but I heard some rather alarming news." He took a sip of the wine and swilled it around his mouth for a moment before swallowing and making a noise of appreciation. Felicity remained silent; she was rather fed up of Riordan's surprises; they were always bad news for her. "Do you want to know what it is?" He finally asked.

"Not particularly." She answered, "Now if you don't mind, I need to let Hillary in to prepare my hair." She turned towards the door, desperate to let someone else into the room and make her feel safe again.

"Not so fast! A little spy told me that King Peter is here." Felicity had known the news would be bad.

"Well then your little spy is wrong!" She retorted over her shoulder, still walking towards the door. "Do you see him here? I most certainly don't..."

"Open that door and you're dead." He called out to her. Felicity was torn for a moment. She was dead if she opened the door, and dead if she didn't. Which doom was best?

As she stood undecided King Riordan quickly caught up with her and stood between her and the door. He advanced on her and Felicity automatically matched each step he made so that she stayed an equal distance from him.

"Cleansing...respect..." He spat out, his face dark and ominous above Felicity's. His hand lashed out and he slapped her across the cheek before Felicity could duck or protect herself. He grasped her so tightly by her shoulders she could practically feel the bruises forming. "Your lack of respect for me has caused your own downfall." He was snarling in her face and Felicity could do nothing. She was not strong enough to wriggle free and she had none of her daggers about herself. Grasping the front of his shirt she pulled down for leverage as her knee met his groin. He let go of her instantly and doubled up whilst Felicity immediately ran for the door.

One of his hands grasped her ankle and she fell with a thump, winded and unable to struggle as she tried to breathe. Riordan pulled her towards him and straddled her stomach, pinning her arms to her sides as he took a handful of her hair and yanked it down so that she arched her back. Fumbling on the table above him his fingers finally clasped around one of her expensive daggers and he raised it above his head, his gaze fixed manically on her exposed throat.

Felicity let out a gasp as she was finally able to breathe, her eyes wide with horror. This was it. The last thing she'd ever see was Riordan's mad face. The last emotion she'd ever feel was fear.

Suddenly Peter's golden hair loomed up above her view of Riordan's and after a dreadful thump, Riordan's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forwards, the dagger narrowly missing Felicity's ear as he crashed onto her.

She tried to heave him off but Peter had to put down the candlestick he'd used to hit Riordan over the head and flip him over before Felicity could breathe properly. With irregular breathing and shaky legs Peter pulled her up and embraced her, his gaze on the unconscious form of the King of Gardania.

"We need to get out of here." Peter said, grasping Felicity's shoulders in the same place Riordan had and stooping to look into her scared eyes. She swallowed and nodded, forming a plan in her mind.

"Ok...ok...Help me!" She said, fumbling with things on her desk. First she picked up her five daggers, retrieving the last one from the floor by Riordan and had Peter strap them about her, unable to do so herself because of her shaking hands.

Once he was done she was a good deal calmer and began to drop her expensive jewellery down the front of her bodice.

"Is your jewellery really an essential?" Peter asked incredulously.

"We can sell it and live off the money." She replied as she gestured for Peter to take the pouch of money she'd brought out. He put it carefully in his pocket as she ran out of room to hide the jewellery. Peter scooped the rest of it up and put it in his other pocket.

Felicity looked at him for a second before un-strapping the dagger around her calf and giving it to Peter who was unarmed. He put it through his belt and Felicity ushered him over to stand hidden behind her door. The two exchanged a nervous glance before Felicity stepped back a few paces and screamed as loudly as possible, then she ran at the door and wrenched it open.

"The King's been attacked!" She cried at the Guards standing outside. "Quickly, the culprit's in there!" She pointed through the main room to her bedroom and the four Guards on duty clanked into her room in alarm.

One went over to the King and the other three ran into her dressing room. As soon as they were out of the doorway Peter dodged around the open door and grasped Felicity's upper arm, pulling her out of the room and sprinting down the corridor with her struggling to keep up.

They flew down the stairs with light feet that missed out steps and yet still did not trip or stumble. At the bottom Peter grasped Felicity's wrist again and pulled her to the left and through the kitchen. Numerous voices yelled out to them in annoyance as they upset pots and pans on their way through. Once out the back door Peter let go of Felicity and rushed to a stable boy who was leading two horses away from their carriage and into the stables. He shoved the boy as hard as he could, sending him flying into the open stable doorway without a second glance. The horses were both powerful, expensive animals and stood only slightly smaller than Peter. Felicity joined him and he quickly gave her a leg up onto the first one, slapping its rear to make it move as Felicity clung on desperately to its neck and tried to steer it through the gateway to freedom. Peter gave his own horse a slap and as it started to run he hoisted himself up onto its back and hung onto its mane as his steed automatically followed Felicity's horse.

Peter narrowly avoided being hit by a carriage that was drawing up outside the Inn as he emerged onto the road a few moments behind Felicity. The driver yelled at him in annoyance as his own horses shied away but Peter ignored him, concentrating only on catching up with Felicity. He dug his heels in his horses flank until they were up to a canter and level with Felicity who looked at him with relief in her eyes. Peter gave her a smile and looked back at the Inn over his shoulders, seeing Guards running out of the front door he called to Felicity to look around. She flicked her head back with fear and urged her horse into a gallop, her fingers entwined strongly in its mane as she hung on.


	25. Help From Unlikely Friends

_Ok I have actually outdone myself...this is definitely the longest chapter I've ever done! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favourited or alerted the story, I hope you're enjoying it and not getting bored! Oh, and I hope everyone had a nice Christmas! As always, please review, it does make me happy...and (I hate to admit it) but I'm more likely to read a story if it has lots of reviews...which is part of the reason I'd like lots of reviews, just in case there's lots of people out there like me who are incredibly bad! Enjoy my super long chapter!_

"The horses are too tired to continue much further." Peter called out to Felicity over his shoulder as the two horses plodded through the field. "We're nearly at Leningsly anyway. We can get new horses there."

"It's too dangerous to risk going into a town." She called back.

"They won't know who we are. News won't have travelled that fast!" Peter said, halting his horse and giving Felicity a moment to catch up.

"It's just too risky, Peter! I'm the Queen of Gardania, someone will recognise me!" She said, practically pleading with him.

"It'll be fine. We need new horses and some food; we have no option but to go there." He explained gently, unable to think straight from the lack of food, water and sleep. "Actually, you're right. It's too dangerous for you to go into the town...you stay hidden outside it and I'll go in and get everything we need.." He said, finally starting to see sense.

Felicity rolled her eyes at him. "If you're going in then I'm going with you! I'd just prefer it if we didn't go at all!"

Peter considered arguing with her before biting his tongue and keeping his own concerns of her safety to himself because, in truth, he did not want her to leave his sight.

The two rode into the city past the ogling guards at the gate and Peter cursed himself for overlooking her dark hair that stood out amongst all of the Gardanians.

"You need to cover your hair." Peter hissed at her as a few other passerbys stared at her. Felicity gave no indication of hearing him but subtly hooked a piece of pale material from a passing cart on her foot and stooped down, covering her head and shoulders with it in an attempt to at least hide some of her hair.

She looked at Peter questioningly and he gave a slight nod before casting a furtive glance at the people around them. "This place will do." He muttered, pulling on his horses mane to make it turn right to a house with a stable visible just behind it. Felicity pulled on her own horse and the two plodded off the main road.

Dismounting their horses they started to walk to the front door of the house when a guard behind them gave a sudden shout. The two broke into a sprint without a backward glance and instantly ran away from the house and their exhausted horses.

Peter immediately pulled ahead of Felicity with his longer legs and he had to keep slowing to make sure she was behind him. As he paused and glanced over his shoulder for the sixth time he realised the Guards were gaining on them and he grasped Felicity's wrist, pulling her deeper into the city along behind him. She could barely keep up as he pulled her after him so fast it seemed her feet were hardly touching the ground as she tried to stay upright.

Peter could feel her struggling and looked around for any diversion or escape route. The city was becoming busier and more intricate as they emerged into the original layout of winding alleys and narrow roads. Spying an alley to their left he pushed Felicity down it and turned back, heaving over a cart full off apples to obstruct the guards as he slipped down the alley. He knew that he'd just destroyed someone's livelihood, but by law the owner of the cart should receive compensation, and right now he couldn't afford to think of anyone but Felicity and making sure she escaped safely.

He could see her up ahead and he could see the alleyway getting narrower and narrower ahead of him. After a few seconds Felicity had to run with her shoulders sideways to prevent them from scraping the looming walls. Peter's footsteps slowed behind her as he had to turn much sooner than her because of his broader shoulders. Felicity checked to make sure he was ok and she gave a gasp as she realised the guards were just entering the alleyway behind him. He was walking slowly now, sidestepping with his shoulders turned completely to the side. Felicity continued on and managed to get out of the alleyway without hitting the walls but Peter was struggling now. His body was almost touching the walls on either side of him although he still had a few feet to go before he reached the street and the alleyway was getting narrower and narrower.

Felicity frantically checked the street they were on and satisfied herself that there were no guards waiting for them as Peter started to struggle against the walls that were now trapping him. He was so nearly safe; he reached his arms forward and put them either side of the alley's opening as he painfully tried to haul himself through.

He exhaled as much air as he could and finally managed to squeeze through. He grabbed Felicity and the two started to run left before a guard appeared from another alley and wrapped his arms securely around Felicity. She screamed at him to let her go and Peter punched the guard on the nose. The guard let go of Felicity but another one appeared behind her and grabbed her again. Several guards approached from all different directions and started to fight Peter as Felicity tried to wriggle free herself.

A guard gripped Peter from behind and he ran backwards until they collided with something solid and the guard was winded. He pushed another one away and he fell straight over a stall selling china ornaments. The ornaments broke around him and the vendor shouted in fury. Peter jabbed at another guard with his borrowed dagger and he walked backwards straight into a young man helping his sister with the shopping.

Within moments a large fight had broken out as guards ruined vendors merchandise on the road and Peter managed to duck out of the way of a swinging fist from one of the guards and free Felicity. He knew King Riordan must want them alive for none of the guards had drawn their sword, even when he had stabbed with the dagger.

The two continued right, then left and then left again until they emerged on exactly the same street, just further down. A riot had broken out and blood gushed everywhere as the guards finally pulled out their swords. A young man with a saucepan ran past the two and whacked Peter on the back of the head before running on and joining the chaos.

Felicity screamed as he fell to the floor and tried to shake him awake frantically as people's tramping feet threatened to harm him. She cried his name again and again before finally grasping the shoulders of his shirt and trying to pull him the few feet back into the alley they'd just emerged from. He moved a few inches before coming to a stop completely. Felicity leant back, putting all of her weight into making him move but still his body stayed resolutely in the same spot. She was sobbing at the hopelessness of it all when a hand covered her mouth and an arm wrapped around her torso, forcing her back into the gloom of a nearby house. She struggled to escape and return to Peter as she observed two men picking him up, one by his shoulders and the other by his feet and carrying him into the house behind her. The hands released her and she hit out at the person who'd abducted her, fearing the worst.

"Calm down! It's me!" Someone cried out as she hit their chest with her fist. Recognising the voice she squinted in the dark till she recognised Adam, the chef from the castle.

"Adam?" She whispered, hoarse from the screaming and sobbing. He smiled and nodded at her in confirmation.

"What're you doing here?"

"I'm head of a gang. We work against Riordan." He told her as she wiped her tears away. "Are you ok?" He checked anxiously. She nodded and ran over to where the two men had placed Peter on the kitchen table and checked for a pulse.

"I'm guessing he's King Peter." Adam called out to her, screaming and shouting still audible from the street. A candle flickered as someone brought one into the dark room and Felicity could see Adam properly. He was dressed well in good clothes and had a sword by his side as well as a dagger. There were five other men all stationed around the room at different points in similar attire and they all stared at Felicity sullenly.

"Yes. He is." She replied, checking he was not injured. She smiled as she spied the boot boy Callum as one of the five men around the room. "Hi, Callum." She said quietly. He gave her a curt nod and smile in reply.

"So what's going on?" Adam asked.

"We're running away. Riordan tried to kill me yesterday because he found out I was having an affair with Peter. But I never wanted to marry Riordan; he said he'd go to war with Narnia if I didn't and he gave me a potion to take away my magic." She couldn't be bothered to explain every detail of their situation.

"Ok, we need to get you out of here. Alec, Malcalom, take him to Georgiana's house. Triwan go with them." He said. Three men sprung up and carried Peter out of the back door.

Felicity watched them go anxiously. "Don't worry. We'll follow them in a moment; it's just easier in smaller groups." Adam told Felicity reassuringly. "Georgiana's is one of our safe houses in the city. Here, put this on." He handed her a blue scarf and she wrapped it around her neck and head, covering her dark hair again. The remaining three men accompanied her out of the house; Adam and Callum either side of her and the man she didn't know scouting ahead.

"Why are you helping us?" Felicity asked Adam quietly once she and Peter were settled in the safe house. Peter was still unconscious and the men had placed him on the kitchen table. Felicity sat beside him, stroking his hair absentmindedly as Adam stayed with them whilst his men carried out various jobs and kept an eye on the movement of the guards. "You'll be in serious trouble if Riordan finds out..."

Adam stared at her for a moment before leaning forwards on his knees. "Do you remember when Damien was accused of stealing wine from the cellar? You stood up for him and gave an account of his good character and saved his job and reputation... And then when Michael hurt his knee and couldn't serve at dinner you suggested another job he could do in the castle, you saved his job. And when Maria was upset because of her mother's illness, you sat her down and listened to her and paid for the medicine that her family couldn't afford from your own pocket." Felicity nodded as he recounted a few instances when she'd been able to help the people who made her life easy everyday by assisting her in ordinary tasks. "That's why I'm doing this; because you're a kind person and you deserve some help."

Felicity looked down at Peter's sleeping face in embarrassment.

"You know..." Adam continued hesitantly, "you don't have to settle for him. He may be a King but I can name over 50 men who'd die for you." Felicity stayed looking at Peter's peaceful face as she processed what he'd said.

"I love him." She finally whispered.

"Sometimes love isn't enough. Your love wasn't enough to stop him marrying Tarkaheena Marchella..."

Felicity stopped stroking Peter's hair for a moment at Adam's words. He was of course right, but there were too many components in their relationship for her to explain. Adam wouldn't understand that Peter was a King and his country had to come first. But she didn't understand it herself for now Peter was putting her before his country.

"Choose the right man, and with your magic you could rule the world." Adam whispered, kneeling down beside her and bending his head to look her in the eye.

Felicity stared at him for a moment, searching his face. She knew that he considered himself to be the right man. "I don't want to rule the world." She whispered back, starting to slowly stroke Peter's hair again as the front door opened and closed and frantic footsteps started in their direction.

"Well, you know where I am if you need more love." Adam muttered. Her hand froze at his words as he rose to receive the news the messenger would bring.

"Triwan's betrayed us." The messenger muttered.

"What?" Adam exclaimed angrily. "Deal with him. How long have we got?"

"A few hours. They only know the vague location and they're assembling a strong force before coming here and they don't know any of our names."

"Ok, that's good. Is Henry's house free?"

"No, and it's too far."

Adam stayed silent, frowning heavily as he thought quickly.

"Why are you even helping them?" The messenger asked in an even quieter tone with a furtive glance at Felicity and Peter. Felicity kept her eyes downcast on Peter's face, pretending that she could not hear.

"Why are you questioning my actions? As your leader you must obey me!" Adam hissed.

"Not if you're putting us all in danger! Riordan will kill us all if he finds us helping her..."

"I'm helping her because I love her...and I'm not the only one who does, so get back out there and deal with Triwan!" Adam turned to Felicity, "I'll be back soon."

Felicity nodded her understanding and Adam left with the messenger, leaving Felicity alone with the unconscious Peter. She grew tired of the silence in the room and pulled an armchair through from the living room to the kitchen. Climbing into it she drew her knees to her chest and tried to rest; her body exhausted from the nights travelling and the constant adrenaline rushes.

She awoke when she heard movement a few hours later. The sun that had been visible through the kitchen window was now out of sight, though its glow still gave a little light. In front of the window stood the familiar figure of Peter, his smiling eyes watching Felicity's every move.

"Peter." She said happily as she sat up and stretched. "How do you feel? How's your head?"

"Very, very sore." He said, coming closer and kissing Felicity loving on the forehead by way of greeting. "Where are we?" He asked, leaning back against the table and taking a sip from the goblet of water he was holding.

"A safe house somewhere. You got hit over the head with a saucepan, and then Adam and Callum; two servants at the castle; saw it happen and helped us. Adam's the head of some gang that works against Riordan." Peter held the goblet out, offering it to Felicity and she gratefully took a few small sips before giving it back to Peter. He needed it more; he was still recovering from his blow to the head.

"Where's Adam now?" He asked.

"I don't know. He just said he'd be back later a few hours ago."

"And what are we supposed to do until then, just sit here?" Felicity looked at him sharply at his tone.

"That's exactly what we're supposed to do. Adam is helping us at his own expense... the least we can do is follow his orders!" She stood up in annoyance and looked out of the window at the setting sun; she was cranky because of her tired state. Behind the small cottage was a large garden with numerous vegetables growing in it and Felicity tried to ignore her pangs of hunger. It had been over a day since she and Peter had eaten.

"What if they find us? We need to be escaping as quickly as possible, not waiting around like sitting ducks, ready to get into deeper trouble!"

Felicity whirled around to stare at him in fury. "We wouldn't be in any trouble if it wasn't for you!" She accused angrily, pointing her finger at him in accusation.

"Me?" He retaliated, "What've I done?"

"If you hadn't married Marchella, I would never have married Riordan and we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"If I hadn't married Marchella, Narnia might still be at war with Calormen!" Peter shot back defensively. He knew it was all his fault. He knew it was he who had endangered the woman he loved.

"I could've handled it! If you had given me the chance I could've defeated Calormen with my magic!" She stamped across the room to him and repeatedly poked her finger in his chest, stabbing him with her nail in her ire.

"If, if, if!" He shouted in return, grabbing her by the finger and pulling her arm down to her side. "Dwelling on the possibilities of the past will not get us out of this mess!" He lowered his voice as he realised that shouting would not help them either. Both took a deep breath in mortification at their childish actions and after a moment Felicity yanked her finger from his grasp and sank back down on the armchair.

"I will give this Adam another hour. Once the sun has set we are making our own way." Peter said quietly after a silence.

A longer silence ensued and Peter constantly darted looks at Felicity who sat tensely in the armchair, her hands clasped stiffly in her lap and her gaze on her knees.

He gave a sigh as he finally realised he'd upset her. Her face wasn't as easy to read as it used to be; she'd learnt to control her emotions and put on a brave face since working for Riordan. He lifted the chain that always hung around his neck over his head and slowly walked over to Felicity.

"Felicity?" He said quietly when he was a foot away from her. She gradually looked up and he realised he was mistaken. She had learnt to conceal her emotions, but not from him. He recognised the look in her eye; its usual light had diminished slightly and the vitality she had that was one of the things that made her so attractive had faded. He pulled a kitchen chair closer and sat opposite her, their legs touching. "I want you to have this." He held the solid gold necklace out to her and she caught the pendant; the Narnian crest. It was exactly like the Narnian shields; except it was smaller than her palm and the lion was engraved in the gold.

She flipped it over and read the tiny inscription out loud, "High King Peter the Magnificent." She looked up at him expectantly.

"It's the Narnia crest." He told her. She bit back a retort about him stating the obvious. "Only me, Su, Lu and Ed have them, each of us with our title on the back. I want you to have it."

"It's very beautiful and I'm touched, Peter, but only you four royals have them...it's not right for me to have one because I'm not a royal..." She looked up at him again and he looked back at her steadily. Footsteps were heard in the distance as a door slammed and she gave a gasp as she realised what he was implying.

"Think of it as a temporary ring." Peter whispered in their final few moments alone together.

"We need to move. Triwan betrayed your position to the Guard." Adam said as he burst into the room. "Oh, you're awake!" He commented with relief, giving Peter a slightly hostile stare.

Felicity quickly looped the chain around her neck and tucked the crest down her bodice and out of sight as Adam shepherded them out of the door.

"What'll happen to Triwan?" She asked a little later as they paused in a dim doorway and Adam waited for the next informant to reassure him it was safe to continue.

"He's being dealt with." Adam's face was grim and Felicity fought to keep herself from heaving; she knew exactly what that meant.


	26. Goodbye And Hello

_Yet another wonderfully long chapter! Although it's not particularly interesting...It's only been 2 weeks since my last update so I'm doing well! Although my next update may take a while because I have exams coming up...please review as always...Enjoy!_

Felicity had waved goodbye to Adam and Callum as she and Peter rode away into the woods that marked the east border between Gardania and Properte. Now that they were out of Gardania it wouldn't be long before they were safely in Narnia and they had already passed Calormen and were over three quarters of the way there. Both had refused to go directly through Calormen for fear they would be recognised as the Narnian High King and the Sorceress.

It took 4 days to skirt around the edge of Calormen, entering its border only for food and to replace their horses. Felicity's hair was greatly tangled; it hadn't been brushed for over a week and Peter had a full beard which Felicity constantly found hilarious. Despite their high spirits at almost reaching home; there were constant silences between the two as they thought of the impending war with Gardania and what to do about Marchella.

"Hello, Blackthorn." Peter beamed at the speechless squirrel. "Could you go on ahead to Cair Paravel and tell them Peter and Felicity are back?"

The shocked squirrel bounded off without a word to his King and Felicity laughed and waved as a group of shy Dryads appeared to their left.

"Come on!" Peter called out joyfully as he spurred his horse into a canter and the two started to race to Cair Paravel.

Cair Paravel had no drawbridge for it had no moat, but it did have a heavy iron grate that remained open the majority of the time for the Kings and Queens trusted the subjects of Narnia with their lives. Peter and Felicity rode underneath this gate now and into the stone courtyard, slowing and dismounting their still moving steeds when they were only feet from the front entrance steps. The other three royals came running out of the castle with the servants and family friends close behind them.

There were cries of joy as Peter and Felicity were attacked with hugs and kisses on all sides. Edmund swung Felicity round and round like a small child and even Mr Tumnus lifted Felicity off of the floor with his excited embrace.

"Where's Marchella?" Felicity asked Lucy quietly as some of the hubbub died down. The majority of those around them heard Felicity and turned to look at Lucy expectantly.

"She..." Lucy started before pausing and persistently tapping Peter on the shoulder till he too joined the conversation.

"Marchella's runaway. About a week after Ed came back with the news that you were staying on to get Felicity she just disappeared."

There was silence around the group as they waited for Peter and Felicity's reactions with bated breath. Peter too looked to Felicity expectantly and she refrained from rolling her eyes at them all.

"Well, I hope she's alright." She finally said solemnly. "Although I'm so glad I don't have to meet her...what an awkward greeting that would be." She said with a laugh, trying in vain to break the tense moment. To her relief it worked and Peter put his hand in the small of her back, guiding her forwards and up the steps of Cair Paravel.

"First things first, I think we both need a long bath...then we'll tell you everything." Peter said, immediately taking control of the situation and acting every bit the High King with his calm attitude.

"Ooh, I'll get right on it!" Mrs Beaver practically squealed, running off on all four paws in her haste to alert the Nymphs to get hot water ready in both Peter and Felicity's rooms.

"We'll be down to the hall in half an hour! Have some food ready!" Peter called over his shoulder whilst they climbed the stairs to their nearby rooms.

"I think I've got bruises from everyone's kisses." Felicity said with a laugh, putting her arm around Peter's waist and attempting to pull him closer. He was stronger than her and simply grinned, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Here's another one." He kissed her on her forehead and Felicity grinned up at him, unable to be miserable at the thought of the impending war when she was so happy.

"I'll come to your room in half an hour." She told him, ducking out from underneath his arm when they reached her room. "By the way, use some rose oil or something."

"Why?" Peter asked in confusion, as far as he knew jasmine flowers were her favourite in appearance and smell.

"Roses smell the strongest. And you really need something strong..." She trailed off; shutting the door with a laugh at Peter's put out face.

Unable to help himself Peter checked no-one else was in the corridor before smelling his shirt. She was right. He did need something strong.

" – but then the farmer's son recognised Felicity and we had to run from there as well and go another day without food..." Peter trailed off dramatically whilst Felicity dipped her bread in her soup.

"You know, I'm sure I know how Riordan found out about us..." She suddenly said, giving Peter a break from the talking so that he could eat some of his soup. "When I first went into the inn I recognised a girl; I didn't know where from at first, but now I remember... She was applying for the job when I walked in and Jonathan simply dismissed her, saying that the position had been filled. She looks like the kind of vindictive, meddling person who would want revenge for nothing. I'm sure it was her..." Felicity trailed off, taking another bite of delicious bread.

"Well, I don't think she wanted revenge for nothing...she was basically told she was too ugly for the job and that you were more beautiful.." Susan said by way of explanation.

"So...?" Edmund asked, frowning in confusion. He didn't understand how something so insignificant could provoke revenge.

"So, that's a big thing for a woman!" Susan told him, exasperated at his complete lack of knowledge about a woman's world. "You never, ever tell a woman someone else is more beautiful than her!"

Edmund put his hands up as a sign of submission. "I take it back." He said, actually leaning back in his chair and away from Susan.

Felicity looked at Peter and grinned at him; they'd been waiting for Susan to return to her usual topics of female beauty, fashion and balls.

"Thank you, Mrs Beaver; that was just what I needed." Felicity said, pushing her bowl away once she'd finished she soup.

"My pleasure, deary." She replied, eyeing Felicity's thin frame sceptically and thinking of all the things she could cook to fatten her back up.

Peter too pushed away his bowl and mumbled a thank you through a mouthful of bread as the faun, Wetgale, collected their bowls and hurried them to the kitchen with them; unwilling to miss out on the stories.

"So, now you know the majority of our story; what's been happening here?" Peter asked once he'd swallowed the bread.

"Well you already know that Marchella left..." Susan trialled off, looking instead to Lucy for support in finding an interesting story to tell.

"We tried to make her feel welcome; after all, it's not her fault she was made to marry you!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Speaking of Marchella...I think we can have our marriage annulled..and then Felicity can have her marriage to Riordan annulled as well and everything will be fine!" Peter said, leaning forward on the table in his excitement.

Susan sucked in air through her teeth as she started to think through what Peter thought to be so simple.

"Well..." She started, shaking her head and looking into the distance as thoughts and ideas passed through her mind. "Felicity's annulment should be easy; if we can find someone who can verify that Riordan abducted Felicity with the intent to force her to marry him when he knew that she was unwilling; then the marriage can be annulled. Yours is more difficult, Peter..."

"But I have not slept with Marchella...surely that enables me to get an annulment?"

"Not consummating the marriage is not grounds for annulment..." Susan said quickly. "You must have another reason..."

There was silence around the room as the four royals and Felicity thought of other reasons and the listening servants and friends waited for one of them to have an idea.

"You could claim," Felicity started, the whole room looking at her expectantly, "that you either never intended to be faithful to Marchella, or that you have already committed adultery..."

Edmund's eyes widened in horror and amazement as his eyes flickered from Peter to Felicity; he'd never even considered them having sex. He'd always thought Peter was much too honourable and old-fashioned to have sex outside of marriage.

Susan looked furious at the news and gave Peter a hard look that he completely missed.

"It works! Call the minister!" Peter exclaimed, jumping up in his joy.

"Minister Yetast cannot perform the annulment. He is a family friend." Orieus interrupted, his deep voice immediately commandeering and making everyone listen to him.

Peter sat down in disappointment and looked at Felicity, hoping she'd have some more great ideas.

"We'll have to get someone from Archenland." Lucy said, standing up and declaring that she was going to bed.

"I think I'll go to bed too." Felicity said, standing up as Lucy left the room.

"We all should." Peter said, also standing up again. "Edmund, Orieus, a word in my study please." There was a great deal of shuffling as everyone stood up down the table and began to move off in small groups. Felicity stopped and looked at Peter. He was going to warn them of Gardania's approach and discuss war tactics with them.

Peter sensed her gaze and looked her in the eye with a small smile. He clasped her hands in his and pulled them close together.

He knew she knew; he could see it in her eyes. "You go on to bed and get some rest. Go to my room and I'll be up soon." He told her quietly before pulling her in for a quick kiss. Felicity nodded, too tired to protest. Peter gave a bigger smile and kissed her on the forehead, watching her leave the great hall with Mr Tumnus. Motioning to Edmund and Orieus the three made their way to his study, Peter trying to piece together the words he needed to tell them of the impending war without somehow making it seem Felicity's fault. After all, it was his more than hers.


	27. The Skin Of Helen Of Troy

_Hello again everyone! So it's been 8 days since my last update..well done me! I have nothing special to say about this chapter, it's just one of those chapters you have to include, but I hope you'll all be kind enough to review it and at least make me feel that a few of you like it! Enjoy!_

Felicity bade Mr Tumnus goodnight and went into her room, collected a nightdress and waited briefly until the corridor was silent and deserted before darting to Peter's room in the next corridor. She'd been brought up by parents who valued marriage and the thought of someone catching her going to sleep in Peter's bedroom when they were both married to someone else was too embarrassing.

She changed quickly, leaving her clothes in one pile in a corner and climbing into the big bed, sighing at the luxury of it. After weeks of nothing but a hard ground, occasionally a grotty tavern or a hay-filled barn, the smooth sheets and soft mattress seemed like a dream.

She turned on her side and snuggled her head into the pillow with another sigh, unable to banish the thoughts of all the trouble she'd caused. She was exhausted, but no matter how comfortable the bed she felt too uneasy to sleep.

Sitting up she decided to leave the comfort of the bed and went out onto Peter's balcony that overlooked the whole of the courtyard and watched the last few stragglers of the day servants leave.

When all was quiet she closed the balcony doors and walked onto the other balcony on the opposite side of the room that looked out over the castle's second courtyard. All was silent and still so she closed the doors and climbed instead onto the window sill above the bed, huddling to one side and leaning her forehead against the glass.

The moon was almost full in the sky and it sparkled on the clear seawater beautifully. Felicity smiled slightly at the sight; it'd been a while since she'd seen the sea.

She estimated it'd been an hour since she'd retired to bed. Peter must be coming up soon; he wouldn't discuss tactics all night when the Gardanian army was not yet even in sight.

Felicity leant back against the side of the window sill and wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her knees up close in an effort to get comfy. During their travels of only a few weeks she'd realised exactly how pampered she was. Peter had eaten practically the same small amount as her and yet his body size had stayed relatively the same; he'd only become slightly leaner but if anything his body had become more muscled. In comparison; she'd lost almost half a stone. She'd never been a big girl but now she had bones protruding in places that she knew they shouldn't. Her wrists were too thin and her hair had lost its usual shine from lack of nourishment. Her ribs were precariously close to sticking out of her skin and she was sure she could actually feel bruises coming on where people had hugged her too hard when they'd greeted her in the courtyard.

"I thought you'd be in bed." Felicity jumped at Peter's voice and turned, almost falling off the ledge in her fright.

"I couldn't sleep without you." She replied as her heartbeat calmed at the familiar face of Peter visible in the torch light.

He chuckled and undressed whilst Felicity clambered down and into the bed.

Peter wasn't shy about his perfect body, so he'd sleep naked as always.

"Sorry, but I'm too tired for any sex tonight." He said regretfully, climbing into the bed beside Felicity and pulling her up against him. "What – I – get this thing off!" He suddenly said, pushing and prodding Felicity gently until she sat up in annoyance.

"What?" She asked, allowing him to pull the nightdress up and over her head without protesting.

He pulled her back down and hugged her to his warm body. "I want to feel your skin." He told her simply.

"Pete? You need to see this." Edmund said, his voice stunned.

The three royals and Felicity ran out of breakfast after Edmund to the study balcony. Fanning out into a semicircle they all squinted in shock at the large fleet of ships approaching with the rising sun shining in their eyes.

"Gardania." Peter stated quietly, his voice strangely strangled.

"Not just Gardania; some of those ships are Calormene..." Edmund told them all, his face the most serious Felicity had ever seen it as he handed Peter a telescope. Peter squinted through it momentarily before nodding his agreement as he saw it with his own eyes and handing the telescope to the next person; Susan.

"Why didn't the Mer-People warn us?" Peter asked irritably.

"There's been a slaughter." Edmund said sadly and pointed down to the sea that was almost directly below the balcony. Floating gently were two mermaids; their backs turned to the five and their long hair twining around their torsos.

"Oh, Aslan." Peter whispered as Lucy let out a great gasp. Now that they knew what to look for they could see yet more fins of floating dead mermaids further away.

Lucy hurried away with her hands clasped to her mouth as she emitted several loud sobs. Susan hurried to comfort her and after a pause Peter left too.

"Meeting in the great hall in 15 minutes." He called over his shoulder.

There was a heavy silence between Edmund and Felicity and she realised she had never really seriously thought through the consequences of her actions. To think of dead Narnians was one thing, but to actually see their lifeless bodies was another.

"Do you know what, Felicity?" Edmund asked, suddenly turning to face her, a slightly amused and speculative look on his bewildered face. She gave no reply but gave him a stare that implied he should go on. "You're a modern-day Helen of Troy." Felicity's mouth dropped open in horror at his words but he'd turned away now and was surveying the approaching army. "Felicity of Narnia. The face that launched 1000 ships. Or Felicity of Gardania..." He mused before walking away without another glance at her.

Unable to stand the sight of the approaching battle ships in the sea of dead mer-people, Felicity turned and fled to the great hall.

Peter wasn't there yet but Mr Tumnus and Orieus were conversing urgently in hushed tones.

"Lady Felicity. Your return should have been a time filled with happiness; instead it has been ruined by the recent turn of events." Mr Tumnus said, standing up and pulling the chair next to him out for Felicity.

"I have bought the unhappiness with me." She whispered, staring at the table with unseeing eyes as she sank down into the chair.

"Peter knows what he's doing." Mr Tumnus told her quietly as the doors opened again and all four of Orieus' sons filed in as well as Giant Rumblebuffin and Mr and Mrs Beaver.

"You seen how many there are?" Mr Beaver immediately asked, directing his question at all three already in the room. "That's more than one army!"

"It's two." Felicity said, managing to focus her distracted mind on the beaver. "Calormen has joined with Gardania for this battle."

"I thought everything was alright was Calormen now?" Mrs Beaver exclaimed in confusion.

"Marchella must've returned to her family and encouraged Rabadash to fight Narnia again." Mr Tumnus said after a moment's thought. "She disappeared a few weeks ago; that's more than enough time for her to return home and for Rabadash to assemble his army."

"Time to use your magic again." Mr Beaver said to Felicity as the door opened yet again and the Pevensie Kings and Queens walked in with Harlow; the leader of the human population of Narnia, and a representative of each species of animal and creature in Narnia. Within moments the great hall was a quarter full with representatives of the lions, tigers, panthers, leopards, wolves, hounds, griffins, horses, fauns, dwarfs, minotaurs, bears, satyrs, mice and even a small dragon was in attendance.

"All of you have seen the approaching armies." Peter started, raising his voice over the whispered greetings and discussions of what was to come. "Calormen has joined with Gardania and they do not want to negotiate for peace; they want only to mindlessly kill and take Narnia. But we have the advantage! Not only is every member of Narnia skilled in battle; but other armies do not know how to attack us because we are no ordinary, human army!" Peter's words were met with a rumble of approval as the surrounding creatures grinned at their own special abilities.

"As before, Peter and I will each lead a battalion whilst Susan leads the archers and Lucy works with the medical team. Orieus will also lead a battalion and each battalion will be split into four or five platoons; each led by one of the rest of you." Edmund took over from Peter to explain the finer details of their attack that they'd planned last night.

"As Peter said, we have the advantage with our unique fighting techniques; but they still outnumber us roughly four to one. We only need to keep them at bay for a while until Felicity is able to do magic again. With her ability we will win."

Felicity looked down at the floor as the majority of creatures swivelled their heads to look at her expectantly. A few broke into whispers, asking why she could not already do magic, but Peter broke up the meeting with orders to everyone to prepare for war.


	28. Promise Me

_Yaaaaay. It's only been exactly one week since my last update! I'm getting better at this! I'd already written half the chapter...so to those of you who are eagerly awaiting the updates for my other Narnia stories I'm sorry! I just have exams and things on now so have less time to start chapters from scratch...as always, please review, it makes me happy! Enjoy!_

"Peter wants to see you. In the entrance courtyard." Susan said as she and Felicity crossed paths in the corridor after the meeting.

With a nod of thanks to the older girl Felicity hurried away, noticing that the staff were already readying the palace for the war. It would become a place where the injured could be brought to be cured by Lucy, where soldiers could practise and train and where food would be prepared for the thousands in the army.

Felicity bounded down the steps towards Peter and a pure white horse with a half-smile.

"Felicity. This is Neagasus. He has volunteered to be your stead." Peter told her as she reached them.

Felicity smiled at the beautiful horse. "You're very kind Neagasus, but where is Ara?" She asked, frowning at Peter. Once a horse offered to be a stead they were not exchanged for another except in the event of injury or death.

"Polio." Peter said shortly.

"Oh." Felicity said in reply, gulping back the lump that had formed in her throat, she had no right to cry when she and Ara had only been partners for a month.

"Pegasus-horses do not often volunteer, but as the youngest son of Feagasus, Neagasus thought it was only right he volunteer his extraordinary talents to aid Narnia. After all, as he pointed out, you're an extraordinary woman." Peter told Felicity as she began to stroke Neagasus' velvet soft nose.

At Peter's words she frowned and began to circle Neagasus as she finally realised that he had big white wings tucked into his sides. The outer vane began near the top of his front legs and they were longer than the rest of his body. She gently stroked the huge, silky feathers that made up a wing. "Wow." She whispered, completely awestruck.

"Would you like to go for a test ride?" Neagasus asked her in a deep, serious voice, bowing his head sideways to inspect her with one liquid brown eye that strangely reminded her of Edmund's eyes.

She nodded enthusiastically and Neagasus instructed her to sit with her legs behind the outer vane so that the movement of his wings would not jolt her. Felicity twined her fingers in his mane and Neagasus turned slightly to his left until he faced the sea and approaching armies. Breaking into a gallop as any other horse would he unfolded his wings and beat them a few times until they were safely in the air. He held them still as the two soared through the air and Felicity let out a whoop of delight as they circled over the sea.

"Hold tight." Neagasus' voice came from in front of Felicity and she clung on desperately to his mane and gripped his side with her thighs as he went into a dive so deep it took Felicity's breath away. He then raised up out of the dive into a steep climb and Felicity bent low over his neck as the gradient threatened to make her fall off. "You're very good." He called over his shoulder to her as he flew them back towards Cair Paravel and waiting Peter.

"Ok?" Peter checked, helping Felicity slide of Neagasus.

"Perfect!" She relied, her happiness at the wonder of it all unable to be dampened by the situation. Just a few months ago she'd been living in England, a place where the most exciting form of transport was an aeroplane.

"Would you like a place in the stables or - " Peter began to ask Neagasus.

" – I will sleep underneath the stars as always." Neagasus interrupted immediately. "Thank you for the offer, but it is not needed. You may simply call for me when you need me and I will come instantly." He told Felicity, looking at her with one big eye. She nodded and smiled at him in response, waving goodbye as he trotted out of the courtyard.

"Peter?" Felicity asked as they began to walk back up the steps together. "What am I supposed to do until my magic returns?"

"Nothing. You are to stay in Cair Paravel and attempt to revive your magic. You're not going into the battles." He said simply in a very determined tone.

Felicity raised her eyebrows at him. "Ok then, I'll join Edmund's battalion." She said lightly, turning away in the direction of the great hall, intending to help the servants who were laying out sheets for the wounded to be put on until Lucy could see to them.

"I mean it, Felicity!" He said, grabbing onto her arm as she turned to leave. "I will not have you in the fighting!"

"Why not?" She asked, widening her eyes innocently at him.

He sighed and shook his head at her. "Your big eyes won't work on me this time. You will not be involved in the battles."

"Why not?" She demanded again, unable to keep a pout off her lips as he stood his ground.

"Because you're not a fighter! You and I both know you're too thin to withstand the intensity of even one battle, let alone several, and you're too weak to hold a sword, and not talented enough to be an archer!"

"I happen to be very talented with daggers!" She retorted, annoyed at having her complete lack of battle skills pointed out. Without her magic, she was completely useless, but as half of the party who'd caused the approaching war she thought it only right that she should at least attempt to fight alongside those who were dying for her.

"That's not enough! You cannot throw daggers at 6 opponents at once as you can fight them with a sword!"

"Yes I can!" She replied without even thinking his words through, too stubborn to let him beat her.

"No, you can't!" Felicity leant back slightly as she realised exactly how close his face was. His shouting was beginning to hurt her ears. "I need to focus in battle; and I cannot do that if I am forever protecting you." Her hard gaze softened at his words and she looked at the floor in embarrassment as she tried to think of a suitable reply. "You can work here with Lucy." Were his final words before he walked off to prepare for the war.

"Promise me you won't do anything to unnecessarily put yourself in danger." Felicity said quietly as she helped Peter put on his armour. The different rings clinked against each other quietly as she adjusted it on his shoulders, breaking the silence between them as Peter did not reply.

She had known he would not promise; he was too noble. If he saw someone in trouble he'd help them without a second thought.

She sighed as he looked down at her, his eyes unreadable. He put his belt and sword around his waist and Felicity tightened it for him.

"Then at least promise me you'll return to me." She whispered, begging him to say anything reassuring. He still remained silent and she closed her eyes, letting her head droop. She'd cared about Peter when they'd been at war with Calormene last time, but now it seemed she cared a lot more.

"I promise." He said quietly. He grasped her shoulders and kissed her briefly on the lips when she looked up at him. He searched her eyes for something she didn't know, kissed her once on the forehead before picking up his shield and helmet and walking out of the room without a second glance.

Felicity sat down on the edge of the bed for a moment as she fought not to let her emotions take her over. After a few moments she stood up and sniffed, wiped a finger along the bottom of each eye and left the room in search of Lucy.


	29. A Surprising Friend

_Ok so this isn't the longest or most exciting chapter, but I've got a long one planned for next time! Now I just need to find the time to sit down and write it...thank you to everyone who's reviewed, and I hope everyone's enjoying the story! As always please review, it makes me happy!_

Felicity and Lucy both leaned over Edmund's balcony. His room had the best view of the beach, which was where the first battle was about to take place.

Both girls were unable to speak as the armies ran at each other, sand flying everywhere in a flurry as war cries filled the air. Lucy's eyes were red from crying in anger, hurt and worry. Whilst she did of course worry for her siblings she knew that all three were Narnia's best fighters. Mr Tumnus on the other hand was a gentle creature of a benign nature with no particular fighting skills. He had given Lucy his red scarf to look after once he'd donned his armour, and she was holding it now, scrunching it between her hands in fear.

Felicity put her arm around the younger girl comfortingly as she herself felt her stomach knot with guilt and fear as they stared down onto the beach. The clanging of metal on metal was audible now. The two armies had met in the middle. The Narnians were outnumbered three to one, and the partnered Gardanian and Calormen army had not even bothered to send out its whole army; over half were still aboard the ships, anchored out at sea.

The battle was so thick it was unlikely that anyone injured would be able to make it back to Cair Paravel soon, and so Felicity drew out one of her hidden daggers as she faintly heard footsteps in the corridor outside.

Lucy too drew her dagger and the two girls advanced back into Edmund's room and took up positions on either side of his door with irregular heartbeats.

The footsteps passed and Felicity cautiously poked her head just out of the doorway. Recognising the back of the persons head she let out a shriek and flung herself at them.

They turned in surprise before holding out their arms as she dropped her dagger and hugged them frantically. Lucy emerged from Edmund's room more cautiously, her dagger still held in front of her.

"I can't believe you're here! How did you get here? Oh I've missed you so much! I couldn't say goodbye!" Felicity was babbling as the good looking boy laughed and swung her around.

"Oh, Lucy! This is Tommy! The boy from England who was in Gardania with me, working for Riordan. Tommy, this is Queen Lucy!" Felicity said, only introducing Tommy briefly to refresh Lucy's memory of the stories she'd told her about him the previous night.

Lucy stared at him. He was every bit as good looking as Felicity had told her and Lucy swallowed nervously before saying hello. His gaze was making her blush like a school-girl, not the queen she was!

Tommy bowed to her and briefly gazed at her some more with a half smile before Felicity distracted their attention by rushing back into Edmund's room as she remembered the battle.

Lucy rushed in after her and Tommy too followed curiously.

"Ah, so I didn't reach you in time to warn you." He said, surveying the battle.

Felicity pointed suddenly at something in the battle. "They're coming, Lucy. Are you going to help us with the wounded, Tommy?"

"Erm, sure!" He replied, slightly baffled and worried. Felicity had already been involved in one war, but Tommy knew nothing of the horrors of battle.

"Ok, we're not needed yet, but when it gets busier we'll have to help the wounded in, make them comfortable until Lucy can see them and then make sure everyone is hydrated before they go back out." Tommy nodded his head in understanding as he remembered that Felicity had told him about Queen Lucy's magically healing cordial.

"Can Queen Lucy not pour some of the cordial into goblets so that we can go around and heal people, too?" Tommy asked as the three left Edmund's room in the direction of the great hall.

"It doesn't work like that. The cordial's only magical if it comes straight from the vial, and it has to be me who pours it or it just won't work.." Lucy explained, darting brief looks at Tommy; unable to look him in the eye for any length of time.

The three darted into the great hall moments before a faun helping an injured satyr staggered in.

"How bad is the damage?" Felicity asked an exhausted Peter when he plodded into the kitchen that evening. She'd been sent there by Lucy who had decided that Mrs Beaver needed help preparing food for the troops more than she needed help with the injured now that Tommy was there and other healthy soldiers who were not as fit as they should be had drafted in to help over the hours. She pushed him into a seat where he collapsed in fatigue.

"We won. But only just. We lost a couple of hundred and they lost about one thousand." Peter's hair was matted with blood and a redness resided on his face from where he'd smeared it in when he'd attempted to wipe it all off.

Felicity was unsure how to react to his news. Were the statistics good or bad?

"Well..I have good news! Tommy's arrived so we have another pair of helping hands...he's good with a sword and he's been helping Lucy all day..."

"Mmmm, that's good." Peter replied absentmindedly, his eyes closing in exhaustion as he drifted off to sleep where he sat.

"Oh no you don't!" Mrs Beaver suddenly said shrilly, waking him up. "Here, get that down you." She said, pushing a bowl of her now finished soup on the table in front of him.

With a groan Peter sat up, pulled his chair towards the table and started to tiredly spoon the soup into his mouth.

"I'll be back." Felicity whispered to him before hauling the first large cooking pot of soup down the corridor and into the great hall. On her second trip two Fauns and Tommy came back to help with the remaining 9 pots.

"Leave him. I'll introduce you in the morning." Felicity whispered when Tommy went over to introduce himself to the now sleeping king.

"Lucy's amazing, isn't she?" Tommy asked in a whisper as they hurried down the corridor, Tommy hauling a pot behind him and a sack full of bread and Felicity dragging two sacks behind her; one filled with bowls and the other with spoons.

"She is." She replied, sparing Tommy an inquisitive glance that he missed. "She's a wonderful person; very caring."

"I know!" Tommy shot back immediately, his face lighting up. "I understand why she was the one that got the healing cordial. She's got such a genuine smile..." He mused.

Felicity glanced at him again and began to laugh. He looked at her with a half smile.

"What?"

"Nothing. Nothing." Felicity replied as they laboured through the great hall doors. "Absolutely nothing."


	30. Here For You

_Yaaaay I'm updating after only a week-ish. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and to those wonderful readers who are fans of my other two Narnia stories! If you're not, you should definitely read them...as always, please review and let me know how you're feeling about the story and shizzle...enjoy!_

Felicity sat up and ran a hand through her hair in confusion as she heard her door shut. After a moment's confusion she remembered she was in Peter's room, but the bed beside her was empty.

Her mind began to process coherently and she realised she could hear the clanging of metal and shouts of men echoing around the room. Sliding out of the bed she pulled her discarded night gown over her head and peeked her head around the door.

A figure barrelled her back into the room, their hand over her mouth to stop her screams being heard. Finally realising it was Peter she relaxed and he let her go, instead running to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. The noise intensified as he opened the doors and in the dim light the two could make out the figures of soldiers fighting in the courtyard.

Felicity looked at Peter, waiting for him to do something, to take charge and order her about in a helpful way, but he was concentrating hard on something. She could see his mind processing different information and he suddenly turned to her, grasping her upper arms tightly.

"They're here for you." He hurriedly said. "The one's downstairs are a diversion whilst others search the castle for you!" Felicity opened her mouth to speak; too surprised at his far-fetched theory to believe it, but Peter pushed her back into his room.

"What are you doing?" She demanded as he ran over to his full-length mirror and started fumbling round the edges. "We need to get down there! We need to-"

She was cut short as the mirror swung forwards like a door on silent hinges. Behind it was a dark little alcove, only half a metre deep and a metre wide. Peter forced her in and swung the mirror shut behind them. Tiny beams of light were let in from his room through a few small holes that appeared from the outside to be part of the curling decoration surrounding the mirror.

"This is a priest's hole. If you push in the third brick down on the left wall it opens up a secret passage from here to the kitchens." Peter explained in a hushed tone, constantly checking the room through one of the tiny holes.

"Why are they here for me? They could just be here to kill as many of us as possible when we're least suspecting it!" Felicity said, unable to keep the fear from her voice as her heart beat wildly and she contradicted Peter's conclusion. She was unwilling to believe that the Gardanian soldiers would've attacked the castle during the night solely for the purpose of killing her.

"Riordan still wants you." Peter replied.

"No he doesn't! He - " Felicity protested in a slightly louder voice.

"Yes, he does!" Peter interrupted, his voice rising as well. "Believe me, I'm a man, I know what he wants with you!" Felicity swallowed and looked out of one of the holes on her own side of the priest's hole.

Her throat tightened as she thought about her situation. Just 5 months ago she'd been in England and had just finished taking her exams, now she had men starting wars over her.

Peter's bedroom door started to open slowly and someone dressed in dark clothes stalked in with their sword held ready in front of them. Another man in similar attire walked in backwards after him, an arrow already strung in the bow in preparation for an attack.

"This is the King's room." The second one muttered whilst the first checked the balcony.

"Which one?" Was the hushed reply.

The other let out a grunt of amusement and looked at the disturbed sheets on the bed. "Well someone's been here."

"Probably the King..." Was the sarcastic reply as he checked Peter's wardrobe.

"No. It's her. Her clothes are here." The man bent down and sifted through Felicity's small pile of clothes that she'd left in the corner.

"Then she'll either be fighting or hiding..."

"Hiding. She wasn't in the battle today." Felicity willed them to just leave so that she and Peter could escape their self inflicted prison and at least arm themselves with some kind of weapon.

"It's not worth it. Either way she knows we're here...I told Riordan the distraction team was a bad idea! They'll be on the lookout for anyone human... Come on, let's get out of here." The one carrying the sword muttered.

"Wait." The other suddenly said, holding his body stiffly as he turned first one way and then another. "She's here...I can sense it. Can't you feel it? Someone's watching us..."

His partner stood stock still in complete silence for a moment. Felicity heard Peter's breathing stop beside her as he feared they would hear the small sound. Felicity had to force herself to keep breathing; she knew that if she stopped she wouldn't be able to start again.

"I feel it." He said suddenly, starting to prowl around the room again. "There must be a hidey-hole in here somewhere...you take that side, I'll take this side." The two began to search the room as quietly as they could. The one with the bow and arrow checked the balcony more thoroughly than his partner had earlier and the other started to press randomly around the doorframe, looking for a hidey-hole.

When Peter observed the latter he reached over Felicity's head and pressed hard on the third brick down. It gave way with a quiet grating sound that reverberated in the quiet air. Peter froze for a moment and both he and Felicity stopped breathing. Felicity's eye was still to a hole, and she saw both men freeze and swivel to look at the mirror.

"The mirror!" One of them cried, all attempts at being quiet abandoned as they scrambled to reach the mirror quickly.

Peter pushed against the brick again and the small wall swung forward just as the mirror had done. Felicity stumbled into the darkness that was beyond with Peter following her and the two pushed the wall back into place, turning and fumbling down the completely black passage without waiting to see if the intruders managed to get into the first hiding hole.

Peter was shirtless; he had not bothered to put one on when he had gone to investigate the noise, but luckily he had put on yesterday's trousers that were covered in dried blood; he had discarded them in the corner of his room. With one hand he led Felicity through the darkness and with the other he guided himself, blindly feeling when the direction changed.

The two ran head first into the wall on the other end and after a second of feeling around Peter began to climb the iron rungs that had been nailed to the wall to their left. After counting to 10 Felicity followed him slowly, grasping each rung firmly in the darkness before daring to move her feet.

The noise of Peter climbing above her stopped and she halted, afraid of grasping his foot instead of a rung and pulling him to his death.

Light blinded her as Peter opened a trap door and quickly climbed through it, blocking some of the light when he leant back down to help her up. Felicity began climbing again and when she was in reach Peter hauled her up, shutting the trap door behind her. It became an ordinary slab of stone on the kitchen floor once again and Peter grabbed the sharpest knives the castle had from the drawer.

"You say you're good with daggers. Now prove it!" He said, staring at her intently as he put the knives down on the kitchen table beside her. "Stay here. Use the knives if anyone comes in and don't let them box you in anywhere. I'll be right back." With that he ran off out of the kitchen door, towards the loud noises of the still continuing battle.

With shaking fingers Felicity started to organise the knives so that they were placed within easy and convenient reach.

She grasped one in each hand and stood, tense, waiting for a Gardanian to appear.


	31. The Return

_Sooooo I'm updating after two weeks, which, though not great, is still pretty good for me! This isn't a particularly long chapter, but I promise to follow it up with another one later this week! I solemnly swear that I will update this story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to the many people who favourite and alerted the story! As always, please review..it makes me happy...Enjoy!_

When neither Gardanian nor Narnian appeared, Felicity grabbed a few more daggers and left the kitchen, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she crept down the dark corridor towards the sound of the fighting.

Down the steps to the courtyard she saw the night-time battle. There were at least a hundred Gardanian soldiers and little over 30 Narnians fighting them.

To her left Peter's bare chest shone out like a beacon, inviting Gardanian swords to rip into him as he fought off five of them.

Felicity rushed into the battle, throwing a knife at the unsuspecting back of a Gardanian fighting with Tommy. Tommy did not even look up to see his helper but turned to fight his next foe.

Felicity wrenched the knife out of her victims back and started in the direction of Peter, every sense on fire as her body was assaulted by her surroundings. She hurled a knife once again at the back of one of Peter's opponents and jumped back as something inside of her snapped. The knife caught fire in mid flight before thudding into the man's back. He gave a strangled cry and fell sideways, knocking over one of his comrades.

Felicity's breathing was deep and irregular as her mind comprehended what had just happened. With a delighted and frightened laugh she dropped the daggers and clenched her hands, making the blood of the Gardanians between her and Peter boil until they dropped down dead, their faces flushed red from the sudden burst of heat.

Peter stared at her in surprise as the wall of men between them suddenly disappeared. She grinned at him and he grinned back as he realised what was going on. She began to kill off the remaining Gardanians, boiling or freezing their blood. She was extra strong from the built-up power inside of her that had been unable to escape, and so those whose blood she boiled caught fire as they fell down dead. Within moments nothing remained but the surviving 23 Narnians and a collection of scattered dead bodies, acrid smoke and the smell of burning flesh burning everyone's noses. With a small movement of her arm Felicity made water from the closest rooms in the castle flood into the courtyard and put out the fire's she'd caused.

"King Riordan cannot know about the return of Felicity's magic. We will surprise him one day in battle.." Peter declared, walking up and putting his arm around Felicity's shoulders. A few members of the survivors ran into the castle, beginning to search it for remaining Gardanians whilst others began to move the dead bodies, separating Narnian from Gardanian. The Narnians would each be given to their species for burial, and the Gardanians would all decompose in one grave together.

"I thought I told you to stay in the kitchen." Peter rumbled quietly as he led her up the steps.

"I thought you told me you'd be right back." She retorted, unable to keep herself from grinning at him. "It's back, Peter. Now we can get this mess sorted quickly."

Fatigue suddenly washed over her. Her sudden burst of magic after weeks of being incapable had exhausted her physically. She stumbled and was only held up by Peter's arm around her shoulders. He stopped and supported her with his other hand as she fought to steady herself.

"I'm fine." She said, fighting to keep her eyes open.

Peter sighed and walked in front of her, bending down slightly and holding his arms back, poised and ready.

Felicity looked at him in confusion for a moment, one hand on his back for support as her exhausted body threatened to crumble.

"Get on my back!" He ordered her.

"I really don't think that's necessary." She mumbled, already climbing on his back.

Peter let out a chuckle and hoisted her up, his hands under her thighs and holding her in place. She rested her head over his shoulder as he started to walk towards his room, already asleep.

Peter stopped a guard on his way. "Has someone checked my room?" He asked the minotaur.

"Yes, sire." The minotaur replied, his gaze flicking from Felicity's sleeping face to Peters.

"Would you mind getting Edmund for me?" He asked, starting to walk again as the minotaur bowed his head in acknowledgement and set off. "Send him to my room."

He approached the bed backwards and let the unconscious Felicity gently down onto it. He pulled her further up the bed until her head rested on the pillows and pulled the sheets up over her just as Edmund walked in.

"Ed! I need you to help me check the secret passageway."

"Why?" Edmund asked quietly, annoyed at being kept awake any longer than was necessary.

"Because we're some of the only ones who know about it, and now Felicity does as well because we had to hide quickly. 2 men came in looking for her; everything downstairs was simply a distraction whilst they searched. I need to check they're not in there."

Edmund sighed and took a burning torch off the wall beside him before staring at Peter, waiting for him to grab his own torch. "I didn't realise you were sleeping together." He finally said to Peter's back. He looked down at the floor in annoyance. He didn't know what else he'd expected them to do.

"We're keeping it hush hush." Peter replied, picking up his sword from its place among his armour. "Careful, they were armed." He warned, throwing Edmund a heavy candlestick that would serve as a weapon.

Edmund swung the mirror open and Peter immediately jabbed into the priest's hole with his sword. Realising no-one was there he picked up a torch of his own and led Edmund down the open passage.

"They've definitely been here; they've left the wall open. If we find them we'll have to kill them in case they tell anyone else about this place." Peter muttered as he strained his eyes, trying to see beyond the light his torch was casting.

The two reached the end of the tunnel without encountering anyone and Peter handed Edmund his torch and put the sword down on the floor before him. "Wait here."

Peter climbed the ladder quickly and opened the trapdoor to find a sword pressed against his neck instantly.

"Oh, Peter! I'm so sorry! I thought you might be another Gardanian!" Mr Tumnus exclaimed, removing his sword from Peter's neck instantly. Around him and Mrs Beaver lay the unmoving bodies of the two Gardanians Peter had been searching for.

"I was looking for those two. They discovered the secret passage when Felicity and I had to hide in it...they were looking for her. I think the other Gardanians were simply a distraction whilst they searched for her. It's alright, Edmund, Mr Tumnus and Mrs Beaver have seen to them!" He called down to Edmund below him. "Right, well I'm off to bed!" He told them before closing the trap door again and going back down the passageway with Edmund until they reached his room.

"Night, Ed." He said as his brother put the torch back on the wall and left quickly, yawning loudly as he acknowledged his brother with a tired wave.

Peter took off yesterday's bloody trousers and got into bed beside Felicity, putting his sheathed sword underneath his pillow just in case.


	32. And Again

_Yaaaaay I'm a good person and I'm updating aft only 5 days! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and to everyone who's stuck with my story over such a long time! Please review as you leave, Enjoy!_

Gardanians flooded through the castle gates, war cries sounding from all sides as adrenaline seized everyone in the vicinity. Peter had taken no chances this time; after the battle during the day he'd instigated 100 guards around the castle and another 50 to take the second watch after 3 o'clock.

Felicity woke with a jolt at the sudden noise and froze in confusion as memories of her magic returning came back to her. She smiled to herself before realising that it was night outside and she must've slept through the entire day. She scrambled out of bed and opened the balcony doors, looking down at the battle.

The Narnians had left no Gardanian survivors the night before; so Riordan had no idea that her power was back. Anger built up in her at his backhandedness; two night time attacks in a row was not an honourable way to behave when his army already outnumbered them so greatly.

Despite the dim light she had no difficulty distinguishing Narnians from Gardanians, and she was sure she could see a few Calormene dotted about as well. Seeing no Riordan, she assumed the cowardly King had stayed on his luxurious ship eating grapes whilst his subjects died for him. She gave a sigh; she really didn't like killing people.

Clenching her fists in front of her she made the blood boil in first one Gardanian, then another, and then another. Within two minutes she'd killed 50. She was essentially boiling them alive, but from the inside, but she tried not to think about it too much as she continued. An arrow whizzed past her ear and she looked in the direction it had come from; she'd clearly been noticed by someone.

The Gardanian was pointing his bow at her again, but Susan was watching and threw a dagger in his direction, and as she ducked a swinging sword from another Gardanian Felicity could not help but admire the older girl for her fighting prowess.

Felicity smiled her thanks at Susan before putting her mind back to the task at hand and willing the water to run freely from the nearby well. It snaked around Narnians until it reached a Gardanian, then she willed it to travel up the Gardanians body until he was completely encased in a block of moving water. Flexing her fingers the water turned to ice and froze solidly around his body whilst the end of the water continued on in search of its next victim. The water and ice were tinged red with blood from the ground and the bodies it flowed over.

Felicity had killed at least 100 Gardanians and Calormene by now, but more streamed in through the open gates. In a sudden flash of common sense the snake of water changed course and hurtled powerfully towards the wheel that controlled the gate. Felicity made the water approach from the side, and as it hit the wheel it sent it spinning anticlockwise, dropping the stone gate and preventing anymore enemy soldiers from entering the castle.

Noticing a group of almost ten Gardanians cornering Edmund, she decided to try something completely new that she'd only practised a few times.

Cupping her hands together she willed moisture from the air to form as water in her hands, then she leant over the balcony and let the water fall from her hands, aiming straight for the Gardanians.

She watched in horrified interest as the water turned into blocks of ice so strong they were like large stones that landed straight on the Gardanians heads. Edmund looked up to see the source of the stones and saw Felicity leaning over the edge of the balcony, lightheaded from the unusual magic.

She recovered after a moment and next helped Peter who was almost in the centre of all the fighting. Water lay everywhere from when she'd used it to close the gate and she used it again in strange ways as she thought of methods that required less and less power as she struggled to stay upright.

Each of the seven men around Peter found their heads encased in a block of water that would not move, no matter how they struggled the water resolutely remained attached to them, stopping their breathing until they fell down dead, essentially drowned.

Only one Calormene and a handful of Gardanians remained now and Felicity was glad as she pulled the water into a whirlpool that encased them all, drowning them just as she had done with those attacking Peter. The Narnians stood by, watching in silence as the formation of water suddenly fell apart and Felicity fell down unconscious on the balcony.

Peter hurried to his room and carried her to his bed again just as he had yesterday. He sat down on the bed next to her and ran his hands through his hair with a desperate sigh. Using magic was not an honourable way to fight; but he had no choice. He had a duty to save the lives of his subjects if he could, even if it meant destroying the soul of the one he loved.

He could see it in her sleeping face now. Her face was unhappy, the usual smile her lips naturally took on whilst she slept wasn't there anymore. She would sleep for over a day now; making it almost 3 days since she'd last eaten. He sighed again and stood up, leaving his room to help with the clearing of the bodies.

Felicity walked numbly into breakfast two days later. Soldiers hurried out of her way, falling silent as her weak limbs struggled to carry her to the table the four royals sat at, eating their way through a pile of fruit, bread and jam.

"Felicity!" Peter exclaimed as he saw her, jumping up and pushing her into his own seat. "How do you feel?"

"Very weak. And hungry." She added with a smile.

"Here, eat some of this." He said, picking a slice of bread covered in raspberry jam for her. She grasped it gratefully and began to chew her way through it, ignoring the stares of the soldiers around her. "I'll be right back." Peter said before walking out of the great hall.

"Where've I heard that before?" Felicity quietly asked his retreating back with an inward smile to herself. "So, what did I miss yesterday?" She asked the table between mouthfuls.

"There were no battles. We think Riordan knows your magic's returned so he's thinking of another strategy." Edmund told her, taking s sip of his black coffee. "Peter's got plans for you today. He came up with an excellent idea last night."

Felicity widened her eyes and nodded her head in reply; too busy eating a banana now to reply.

"Tommy! Nice to see you again!" She commented as she spied him sitting beside Lucy near the end of the table. "Where are you sleeping?"

"Queen Lucy found me a room in the west wing." He replied with a smile at the beaming Lucy.

Felicity nodded her head with a knowing look at Tommy. She'd be having a chat with him later.

"I told you, just call me Lucy!" She heard the youngest queen protesting.

Peter returned and put a plate of bacon, egg and toast in front of her before pulling up another chair for himself.

"Protein." He stated. "I need you to be really strong today."

"Is...anyone else having protein..?" Felicity asked hesitantly, craning her neck to see the plates of the other soldiers in the room.

"We've already had all ours. Mrs Beaver's had this meat reserved for you especially.."

"Wow. Then my energy must be important." Felicity said, starting to daintily slice her bacon.

Peter watched her taking her small bites for a moment before shaking his head and turning away, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl he settled back in his chair, one arm resting around the back of Felicity's.

"We'll be needing you in battle today." He said, putting a few spoonfuls of sugar in a goblet of wine for her to give her a sugar high. "I've prepped Neagasus so he knows what to do." The majority of the soldiers surrounding them were listening in on their conversation as they tried to learn what the plan for the day was.

"Which is...?" Felicity prompted as Peter simply stopped his explanation.

"Which is...you'll fly over the ships on Neagasus and make the water do what you want and sink a load of the ships."

"That's it? That's your brilliant plan?" She asked, turning to look at him with her nose wrinkled.

"Well..I never said it was brilliant!" Peter said, disgruntled. Felicity looked pointedly at Edmund who pretended he hadn't noticed.

Felicity sighed and pushed away her empty plate.

"I have a better idea."

"King Peter? The Gardanians are assembling!" A messenger cried out as he panted into the great hall.

Edmund gave an inward scowl. It was too early for killing.

"To arms!" Peter cried through his mouthful of apple. "Sorry, Felicity. But it looks like you're better plan will have to wait, there's no point in destroying the ships if none of them are there..."

Everyone hurried to their armour, but Tommy called for Peter to wait.

"I know Riordan better than anyone else here, even Felicity." He started. Felicity nodded at Peter; Tommy had been in Riordan's employment a good few months longer than her.

"Go on." Peter said as Edmund, Susan and Lucy joined the conversation.

"He hates boats, and would not spend a needless extra day on one just so he could fight you again the day after with exactly the same number of men..." Edmund saw sense and began nodding his approval at what Tommy was saying. "He will have a direct plan for today; and I think it'll just be so that he can get you to flush Felicity out; to show him she's got her magic back."

"That's not a problem; I don't care if he knows now. He'll find out either today or tomorrow." Peter said, unsure what exactly Tommy was saying.

"Once he knows, he'll target her, and I'm sure he's got a way of getting what he wants with her, be it dead or alive."

Peter remained silent as he thought it all through. The thought of endangering Felicity just as Riordan wanted was alarming. Peter knew he was endangering Felicity no matter what, but knowing he was conforming to Riordan's secret plans was what made him hesitate.

"It doesn't matter. He'll find out anyway, sooner rather than later." Felicity suddenly said, looking to Peter for confirmation. He looked at her and blinked several times, lost in her questioning eyes.

"Yes." He finally said, standing from his seat. "We proceed. Felicity, once you're dressed I want you to ride an ordinary talking horse to the beach; I don't want Riordan knowing you have a Peagasus-horse as your steed, and don't let his army see you. Edmund, direct some of the Centaur's to stay around her and hide her from view. Let's see what Riordan does first."


	33. There Are Several Ways To Fight

_I'm sorry it's been about 2 weeks since I last updated and I don't have any excuse! But on the plus side, this is definitely the longest chapter I've ever done! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time and to those who keep up with my other stories…please review this chapter! Enjoy!_

Riordan had assembled all of his army and the Calormene, but though he sat on a horse in full armour everyone knew he had no intention of fighting. The armour was too intricate and heavy to fight in; it was merely for show.

Trianne had agreed to be Felicity's steed, but as it emerged Trianne was not needed for the Gardanians assembled much quicker and closer to Cair Paravel then the Narnians had predicted, and so they were forced to stand outside the walls of Cair Paravel, protecting the palace.

Peter was still riding down to the motionless Riordan with Edmund riding by his side. The two parties stopped a few feet from each other and dismounted. Riordan and General Timmond handed the reins of their horses to waiting soldier's who'd travelled with them, but because Peter and Edmund rode talking horses they had no need to give the reins to anyone; their steeds did not need to be controlled as a normal beast does.

"Go home." Peter said, drawing himself up to his full height and cutting straight to the point. "Felicity will not leave Narnia and your army grows much weaker at a rate much faster than ours. Leave before you lose all the men of your land."

Riordan gave an emotionless smile and tried to stare Peter down. "We sailed a long way for this. We're not leaving before the true show begins."

The Pevensie brothers stared him down, disgusted at the way he referred to death and war as a show, as entertainment.

"It's a magic show we paid for." Riordan continued and Peter lips twitched in a humourless smile. Just as Tommy had said; Riordan simply wanted to force them to flush Felicity out.

"Then it's a magic show you'll get." Peter said through narrowed eyes. "But it'll cost you much more than you originally thought."

Edmund refrained from rolling his eyes at their attempts to make each sentence have more than one meaning whereas General Timmond was more used to it, for this was the language of politics.

Riordan gave a satisfied smile. "Then I suggest we have a one-to-one battle, between your best warrior and my best warrior."

"I agree." Peter said shortly. The temptation to use himself or Edmund was slowly killing him. Edmund was the best swordsman in the land, he'd proven it in tournaments, but Peter was the best bare-knuckled fighter, and he'd proven that in tournaments of his own.

"Felix." Riordan cried so loudly over his shoulder Peter had to fight not to jump in surprise.

There was a moment of silence before a man emerged from the army. He was over 7ft and his leather armour covered only his chest, exposing his rippling arm muscles that looked as thick as Felicity's entire waist. The Gardanian army gave Felix a big cheer, raising their spears and egging him on.

Riordan looked expectantly at Peter who looked back at his own army and called Felicity's name. The Gardanian army fell silent, and with bated breath Felicity emerged from behind the Narnian front line.

There was a beat of silence before the majority of the Gardanian army began to laugh and jeer, believing the Narnians to have sent out a young, frail woman as their champion.

Peter watched her nervously, constantly reminding himself that this was just for show; Riordan would call it off soon, and if he didn't, Peter would.

Silence fell over the Gardanian army as they finally realised who she was. They had not heard Peter call her name over their own roars and only a small portion of them had physically seen her in Gardania.

Orieus raised his sword and the Narnian army suddenly broke into loud cheering that rivalled the Gardanians.

Felicity turned and smiled at them all before walking down

Felix gave an animalistic roar at the Gardanians who responded with their own noise before Felix turned and began to stride towards Felicity with his long legs, covering ground almost twice as quickly as her.

Felix was worried inside though, for despite his large size and capabilities in battle he did not approve of fighting a woman, even if she was a sorceress.

She was very obvious in her baby blue dress against the background of the red and silver armour of the Narnians, and Felix stopped long before Felicity reached the middle ground and watched her cover another quarter of ground before she reached him.

The size difference between the two was laughable and indeed a few Gardanians did snicker and nudge their comrades with their elbows.

"You're beautiful." Felix said to her. A simple man, he knew nothing but war and his dreams, and Felicity looked very much like his dream woman.

"And you're very tall." She replied with a smile at him. He could not help himself from smiling back at her; he really didn't want to hurt her.

He reminded Felicity of Lenny, from the novel Of Mice and Men that she'd had to study a few years ago, only he seemed much more intelligent.

"But wait." Riordan suddenly called out from his position far to their left. Both turned to look at him expectantly, Felix hoping Riordan would tell him he didn't have to hurt the young woman, and Felicity hoping he'd reveal what he was planning. "It is not just one army here, it is two. Rabadash's best warrior must participate as well...Kriminaph!" He called out. This time a Calormene emerged to loud applause from the Gardanians. He walked forwards with a confident swagger, his hand on his sword hilt.

Before he reached them Felicity spoke quietly to Felix, fluttering her long eyelashes at him. "Have you ever spoken to an animal and hoped it'd speak back?"

He looked at her for a moment before nodding. Unmarried, he still lived with his parents so that he always had a home and a cooked meal to return to when he completed his time with the army. His parents had two guard dogs (for Gardania is not the safe place Narnia is) and a cat to keep out the mice.

"Then join the Narnian army and live here. It's a wonderful place where animals talk back to you and someone as talented as you would be thought highly of, given a place of rank and influence, not just regarded as an ordinary member of the army, and certainly not asked to kill women." She said softly, never breaking eye contact with him.

Kriminaph joined them, taking out his curved sword he swung it quickly around himself in a figure of eight, trying to impress Felicity, for in Calormen a warrior is one of the most respected and eligible members of society.

"But wait." Riordan called out again. Peter had not stopped him before because killing one more man was no real hardship to Felicity physically, and like her, he wanted to know exactly where Riordan's plan would take them. "I said warrior, Felicity is a sorceress, a magical warrior; she cannot use her magic. Someone give the girl a sword." He said loudly, looking to General Timmond who reluctantly started the journey over to the three and handed Felicity his own sword with an odd look in his eyes.

"You didn't specify what kind of warrior. A warrior can be of any kind." Peter said, thinking quickly as Felicity's arm was pulled down from the weight of Timmond's heavy sword. The General moved to aid her and helped her get a better grip on the hilt. Felicity smiled her thanks and he began to walk back to Riordan, uneasy about what Riordan was doing.

"Only a warrior who fights physically is a warrior, any other kind carries another name as well." Riordan said triumphantly.

"Then I name myself as Narnia's best warrior." Edmund said loudly, coming to stand closer beside Peter. He was not being overconfident; he truly was Narnia's best.

"Felicity has already been named; she has no choice but to fight." Riordan told them, a gleeful smile lighting up his face.

Peter's heart was panicking, but his mind was not for he knew he could call it off right now, and Felicity still had her magic. If the two warriors still attacked her she could defend herself.

"No." He suddenly said. The look on Riordan's face intensified; now had two reasons to continue fighting the Narnians; Felicity, and High King Peter had cheated their agreement of warrior on warrior.

But Felicity had seen Peter shaking his head and she called out to him. "It's ok, Peter. I'll fight them." She turned back to the Gardanian and Calormene before he could reply.

"A place of happiness." She said quietly to Felix who still stood watching her with his simple mind still trying to decide what he wanted.

Kriminaph glanced between the two distrustfully before deciding he would make the first move. His swung his sword and took a few dancing steps forward, aiming for Felicity's neck, but Felix too acted with a reflex as quick as Edmund's. Stepping forward himself with one long leg he simply swung his own sword slightly, the sheer power in only one of his arms was enough to cut the Calormene through his stomach, making a gash as deep as one of Felicity's fingers and all along his torso.

Kriminaph stopped mid-swing and crumpled forwards, Felix kindly stabbing him through the heart with his sword, ending his life quickly before he experienced unendurable pain.

He turned to Felicity expectantly and she smiled happily at him. He smiled back, almost child-like in his simplicity.

She allowed the tip of Timmond's sword to fall to the grass and held it in only one hand, the other she held out to Felix who took it gladly, his palm the size of her entire hand. He leant across her and took Timmond's sword, carrying it in the same hand as his own as though it weighed nothing more than a large pen.

Still holding his hand Felicity led him to the gaping Royals and Timmond. Riordan was so flabbergasted his mouth kept moving up and down as though he wanted to speak, but his brain had been turned to liquid.

"Felix has decided he wants to join us." Felicity told Peter and Edmund who could only stare in surprise. "Thank you for your sword, General, but it wasn't needed in the end." Signalling to Felix, the huge man returned the sword to the silent General. "Now, if we're all done here, I would like to get Felix settled in his new country." Felix allowed her to lead him back to the Narnian army with Peter and Edmund following, still silent from shock.

Riordan returned to his own army after a pause, yelling to someone to get Kriminaph's body.

Peter sat on his unicorn that afternoon and waved his arm over his head as the signal.

Felicity flew over his head on Neagasus, clothed in her full outfit of chain mail and lightweight armour that Peter had ordered to be forged for her. Neagasus too had been given armour; a breastplate protected his front; it was all he had agreed to wear for Pegasus horses have skin stronger than an ordinary talking animal.

The Narnian army had gathered silently in the past hour to witness what Felicity could do. They were a reinforcement Peter had ensured on in case something went wrong.

The joined armies had of course left out watchmen and they had raised the alarm at the sight of the army approaching, but the armies were slow in their preparation. They thought they had the advantage on the water.

Behind Neagasus and Felicity flew all 43 of Narnia's griffins, each heading for a different ship and carrying a large boulder in their talons. With them were the two dragons who had agreed to fight alongside the Narnians; dragons were not commonly accepted by most Narnians, but these had been cast out by their kind and so had nowhere else to turn.

They fanned out, each choosing a different ship from the 200 they had to choose from with Felicity and Neagasus heading straight into the centre where they could make the most impact.

Felicity made the water boil until steam rose up and blocked a human eyes view. With a simple scrunch and twist of her right hand five tendrils of water appeared around the closest 20 ships before knotting together and falling heavily in the middle of each ship, shattering them into pieces in the blink of an eye.

The griffins were still able to see through the steam with their keen eyes and each dropped their boulder, letting it fall straight through the two levels on each ship, making sea water flood into the lower level. The dragons flew on either side of Felicity, also to the heart of the ships. Flying dangerously close they breathed fire straight at the ships, setting their wooden frames alight. A few screams sounded, echoing over the water until they were joined by the screaming of hundreds. Those who had survived having their ship wrecked by Felicity found themselves in water so hot it brought out burns all over their bodies. Those in the lower levels of the ships the griffins had targeted also found themselves burning and the men on the ship deck were quickly heading towards the boiling water as their ship sunk. A few ships had survived, but fire was quickly spreading throughout the entire fleet, started by the few ships the dragons had set alight.

With the remains of her energy Felicity reinforced the heat in the water as Neagasus carried her back to safety with their air force. Neagasus circled around over the heads of the Narnian army as he lowered to land, heading for Peter, Edmund and Orieus.

The griffins flew off in search of more large boulders in case Peter should wish them to attack again with the same technique.

Neagasus folded in his wings as he slowed, Edmund moving to his right to allow them to slot in between him and Peter.

There was silence between the four as the screams continued in the huge patch of steam.

"Well done." Peter said without looking at her; Felicity didn't blame him for being unable to look at her, she'd just massacred thousands and let them die drawn-out, painful deaths.

"What about the creatures in the sea?" Edmund muttered after a moment's pause.

"It's only boiling in the top few metres. Anything living would've swum away at the first hint of the water warming." Felicity automatically said; she'd really thought through her plan for the best of everyone.

A particularly loud scream amongst those that were fading made Felicity close her eyes in horror at what she'd done; the innocent people she'd killed.

"Go back and sleep." Peter said to her. She opened her eyes to find him still unable to look at her; instead concentrating on the patch of steam as though he expected a monster to emerge at any moment.

She nodded, relieved at being given the opportunity to escape the dying cries of those she'd murdered.

"Neagasus. Cair Paravel please." She muttered to her already-walking stead.

He took flight and flew over the silent Narnian army. "You are distressed." His solemn voice stated gently as the castle walls neared.

"Peter can't even look at me." She said, tears beginning to form in her eyes and her voice shaking.

"War affects people in different ways." Neagasus replied tactfully after a slight pause.

"Not him." She whispered as Neagasus landed in the courtyard. "I'm just being silly. I'm over tired." She suddenly said, trying to force her voice to be cheerful as she bade him goodbye.


	34. Not The Only One

_Hi everyone, so yaaaaay it's only been slightly over a week since I last updated which is a major achievement considering the completely hectic few weeks I've had, but anyway...moving on. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one. As always, please review..it makes me veeeery happy. Literally. I smile every time I check my emails and see that someone's reviewed one of my stories...Enjoy!_

Peter had dismissed the army once the steam had evaporated, the sea cooled and the devastation had been revealed to all who cared to look.

The water was filled with dead bodies and floating driftwood from the destroyed ships. None of the bodies had come too close to the shore yet and Peter was glad; he had no wish to see the blistered skin of someone who had been boiled alive.

Something that worried him was the appearance in the distance of one more Gardanian ship, sailing slowly towards the slightly diminished fleet.

"I'll be right there." He told Susan before walking up the second set of stairs to reach the corridor his room was on.

He would just check on Felicity and change out of his armour before they held another war council.

She was asleep in the bed, her clothes discarded in the corner just as they always were. He took off his armour with a small amount of difficulty and put on ordinary clothes, all the while darting glances at her, fearing he'd wake her up.

Before leaving he walked up to the bed, hoping to see her smiling in her sleep again, though deep down he knew she wouldn't be. Her beauty never failed to amaze him, and when she was asleep you could not get distracted by her eyes.

He took a step closer when he realised she'd been crying; dried tear tracks ran down the one cheek that was visible.

He lay down on the bed next to her, positioning his face so that he was directly in front of her. She should only be sleeping lightly; her work had not exhausted her as it had previously. He shook her shoulder gently and called her name.

Her eyelids fluttered open and after a moment her gaze fixed on him, her eyes still red from crying.

"What's wrong?" He whispered, trying to wipe away the tear track that had been left on her cheek with his thumb.

She blinked at him, letting him touch her, but her eyes were wary; cautious in a way they had not been since the two had first met.

"What is it?" Peter asked again, frowning in worry as she remained silent.

"You can't look at me anymore." She said after a length pause; her voice barely more than a whisper.

"What are you talking about? I'm looking at you now!" He said, his thumb freezing on her face.

She was silent again, looking at him sadly with her big eyes. Peter sighed gently and sat up; leaning against the bed's headboard he opened his arms and invited her to lean back against him.

She did so and he wrapped his arms strongly around her, wanting her to feel his love. He nuzzled his face into her soft, dishevelled hair and then into her neck, kissing the nape gently.

"Sometimes it's hard for me to look at you because I know that I'm damaging you." Felicity resisted the urge to turn around in his arms and look at him. "I know that by forcing you to kill, I am killing your soul, that's why I can't always look at you..."

Felicity was silent for a moment as she considered his words. She suddenly leant her head sideways and kissed one of his large hands that was keeping her close against him. "Silly man." She said quietly before craning her neck to look up at him. "Without you, I wouldn't even be alive." After a moment of staring at each other he kissed her forehead and she relaxed back against him contentedly.

"I'm afraid there is more work to be done, if you are not too tired...?" Peter said after a long silence.

"No. I've still got quite a lot more to give." She replied, sitting up in his arms and stretching her back.

"To the council then..."

A group of two hundred Narnians stood on the sand that was at the bottom of the sea, Felicity at their head and Edmund beside her. He would lead the attack; Felicity would merely aid him until she became too weak.

The majority of the surviving Gardanians and Calormene had fled to the remaining ships or to the beach, nursing their wounds and trying to restore some organisation to the devastated armies.

A few of the Narnians reached out experimentally, poking their fingers into the moving water that surrounded them all like a cave. They'd gone into the sea from behind Cair Paravel, out of the enemy's sight and Felicity had made the sea water around them all move so that they could breath just as they would if they had been on the surface.

A faun smiled in delight at the water swirling around his finger and the leopard next to him looked up at the water distrustfully, dismayed at the thought that it could fall on them at any second.

Felix stood on the other side of Felicity, dwarfing both her and Edmund (who at 6ft 2 was by no means small). Just like the Faun he stuck his finger into the water above his head and smiled at the odd experience. Felicity smiled at his happiness and made a small ball of water appear in front of him. Neither of her magical activities required much energy or attention and so she was able to maintain both as Felix caught it and attempted futilely to break it.

Peter would lead the attack on the surface at any moment, and then they would emerge and attack Gardania from behind.

"You alright?" Edmund checked, unable to quell his own uneasiness as the possibility that they could all drown if Felicity became too weak.

"Fine." She replied though she was a little tired, but it was more general tiredness that you acquire throughout the day, not the kind her magic brought on.

Edmund stared at her as he assessed her response. Just as with Susan, she was doing that female thing where a woman said she was fine, but wasn't really.

"Tell me the second you get tired." He said, his eyes boring into hers seriously.

Felicity didn't reply and the small army waited in complete silence for Peter's signal.

Peter's war-cry reached the group, distorted through the clear water.

Throwing her hands into the air the water surrounding them cleared, creating a path straight to the beach where another battle was about to commence. The Narnians around her charged after Edmund, their swords raised in anticipation.

Horror-struck Gardanians and Calormene escaped past Edmund's attacking force, blindly running down the path on the sea bed that Felicity had created in their panic.

She lowered her arms and the sea water immediately filled back in, killing the enemy soldiers and swirling underneath her feet and lifting her up to the surface of the now normal sea water again.

Clenching her fist in front of herself the sea water directly in front of her became solid, supporting her body as she strode to the beach and becoming normal behind her the moment her foot left it.

Reaching the beach she immediately flung herself into the battle, using the least amount of energy possible as she killed Gardanian after Gardanian and the occasional Calormene. Keeping an eye on Peter she heated the air around him, killing his opponents and making an arrow that had been previously invisible in its speed burst into flame, inches from his left shoulder.

He looked to her with a thanking glance but she'd already moved on, now helping Mr Tumnus as well as defending herself.

Suddenly a whole section of the two fighting armies burst into bright orange flames, the intensity of the heat and light making many of those fighting pause for a moment in surprise.

Peter killed his opponent in his momentary distraction and turned to Felicity with a look of incredulous horror; there had been more Narnians than Gardanians there.

Felicity shook her head and summoned sea water, dousing the flames in one go. Many of the soldiers, both Narnian and Gardanian lay dead, but many were still alive, their skin only burnt badly enough to be complete agony.

Suddenly the fighting started again, with Peter slashing his way towards Felicity, aided by General Orieus.

She stood stunned for a moment as her mind whirled and thoughts and theories as to how that had happened swirled through her mind.

Swords clashed directly behind her and when she turned sharply at the sound she was greeted with the sight of Edmund's back as he saved her from a creeping Gardanian who'd aimed at catching her off guard. The Gardanian was then killed by an arrow from Susan who ran to join Edmund and Felicity.

"Why did you do that?" She demanded; she hadn't seen Felicity shake her head at Peter.

Peter and Orieus joined them and a small collection of Narnians then clustered around them all, fighting off the enemy as they held an emergency meeting.

"What is it?" Peter asked in trepidation as another fire began very close to the group, affecting two Narnians and three Gardanians.

Felicity doused the fire instantly and turned to him with fear and worry obvious on her face.

"Gardania has brought its own magic."


	35. The Right Idea Of What's Right

_Wow I'm a good person! I'm updating after only 6 days and this is a pretty long chapter, especially for me! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and those who also reviewed my other Narnia story, Shards of a Haunted Mind, which I updated at the same time. If you haven't already, then please check this story out...and please review this chapter! It'll make me happy and we all need a little happiness in our lives! Enjoy!_

Felicity had not managed to stay conscious after her lengthy battle with her new, unseen and magical enemy. As the strongest, Orieus had carried her unconscious form back to Cair Paravel with Peter trudging wearily beside him.

The battle had been long and hard with Gardania and Narnia alike losing soldiers to the fires started. At one point Mr Tumnus had been one of the unlucky soldiers who'd caught alight by the magical fire, but Felicity had been alert, adrenaline pumping through her veins and making her react quickly so that his skin was mainly signed and only burnt in some places. As their tutor and special, esteemed friend, Edmund himself had aided Mr Tumnus back to Cair Paravel to be aided by Lucy.

Lucy ran past them with a guard of 10 soldiers and Tommy, her cordial out in her hand and ready. Narnia had not been able to spare enough soldiers to constantly take the wounded back to Cair Paravel and so for once Peter had permitted Lucy to enter the battle scene; though only once the battle was over.

Peter struggled to keep his legs moving as they reached the steps up to the castle and could only be thankful that whoever had started the fires had seemed to tire at the same time as Felicity.

Orieus went on ahead and lay Felicity down on Peter's bed whilst Peter still fought against his exhausted body as he climbed the stairs, too tired to bother with eating anything. He knew that if he sat down he would not move again.

Having undressed and lengthily fumbled at removing his armour he collapsed on the bed beside Felicity before groaning as he realised he could not leave her in her armour.

A grim silence greeted Peter the next morning at breakfast. Many of the soldiers were whispering amongst each other, horrified at the thought of now having to battle against magic.

"Where's Su?" Peter asked, feeling only slightly reenergised by his sleep.

"Training the archers." Edmund replied shortly, sipping from his black coffee and looking as tired as Peter felt. Yesterday had been the longest, hardest and most terrifying battle they had ever fought. The constant fear of bursting into flames had kept everyone's adrenaline running up till the very last moment, and they had been unable to retreat in case the new magician set fire to Cair Paravel. As the Narnians sanctuary; its destruction would cause havoc.

Peter nodded and poured himself some strong, lukewarm coffee.

"What are we going to do, Pete?" Edmund asked quietly, leaning across the table and speaking quietly so that the two could not be overheard. A few of those with sharp ears picked up the conversation and subtly flicked their ears in the kings' direction. "We can't battle magic."

Peter tiredly rubbed his hands over his eyes. "We'll have to send for help from Archenland and rely on Felicity. There is nothing else we can do; we have to fight or Narnia will be lost."

The doors opened and Felicity sleepily walked in wearing only her dressing gown.

"Morning, love." Peter said, offering her his chair and drawing up another for himself. It was not just his love for her and his kingly nature that made him act with such honour; he would do anything he could to preserve her energy. If Gardania did indeed have magic; then she was their only hope of victory.

"Morning." She replied, running a hand through her dishevelled hair and yawning. "Tough day yesterday. What were our losses?"

Peter looked to Edmund with a questioning glance as he realised he had not yet asked. Edmund shrugged and looked over Felicity's shoulder.

"Whipthorn, do you know what our losses were yesterday?" He asked a leopard who was having her claws sharpened.

"400 dead, 500 injured but treated by Queen Lucy, Sire." The leopard replied instantly.

There was a beat of silence as all three thought of the figures with horror.

Narnia only had 1,400 soldiers and 300 were already dead from previous battles. Only half the Narnian army remained.

"What were their losses?" Peter asked, swallowing loudly as worry coursed through his body.

"900 dead."

Peter nodded in relief. "Ok, so that leaves only half of their army left as well."

"At this rate both armies will just obliterate each other!" Edmund said quietly, his eyes distant as his sluggish brain tried to process different tactics.

"If Archenland will send us a few hundred we will be duly supported." Peter replied, "I will send King Lune an appeal now. Someone fetch pen, paper and wax." He called out. A healer who was one of the least exhausted quickly left the room and returned with the things.

Peter wrote quickly, too desperate to bother with the usual niceties. "I have asked him to spare as many soldiers as he can." He said as the faun who'd fetched the things dripped red wax on to the sealed letter. Peter stamped it with his ring, leaving the lion emblem with a small P beneath it on the rapidly cooling wax.

"Send a pidgeon with this." He ordered the healer who bowed and dashed off.

Just as he was leaving another faun ran in, a telescope in her hand. "Sir! There is a boat approaching with a small company in it. They carry olive branches!" After a beat of silence all three at the table jumped up.

"I don't want them in Cair Paravel. We must meet them halfway. How long till they reach here?" Peter demanded.

"Only 10 minutes, Sire."

Felicity dashed off suddenly to get dressed and Peter and Edmund both went down to the treasure vault to fetch their crowns. "Send for Orieus." Peter bade a passing tiger who bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Is Felicity coming with us?" Edmund asked sceptically.

"She must. She's the only one who can defeat this magician." Peter replied as he lifted his crown onto his head.

Felicity joined them only five minutes later, looking remarkably good for someone who had dressed in a hurry. Peter's Narnian crest dangled from her neck and a passing dryad called the young woman over and sorted out her hair with a gentle efficiency Felicity had never experienced. After only 30 seconds the dryad had combed out the tangles in her hair and left it smooth and glowing healthily. Felicity thanked the unknown dryad who only murmured in reply and continued on.

Felicity joined the waiting Peter and Edmund and the three walked quickly down the steps, meeting Orieus in the courtyard they all hurried out of Cair Paravel, unwilling to allow the enemy into their sanctuary.

They slowed after a minute as they realised the Gardanians were only just arriving on the beach and Peter took a moment to rearrange their formation. "Felicity; to my right; Orieus, I want you on the other side of Felicity and you must get her out of here if I command it. Edmund on my left."

They subtly rearranged themselves without a word, each thinking ahead to the meeting as they wondered what the outcome would be.

Felicity stared hard at Riordan as they approached; he looked exactly the same as he had the other day; not a scratch on his skin and no dark circles underneath his eyes as the Narnian Kings had. Just as she had thought; he stayed cowering in his tent whilst his subjects did his work for him.

He was accompanied by General Timmond who wore the scars of battle and a man Felicity recognised, but not could name. The fourth person with him was a good-looking young man, only slightly older than Felicity he was the same height as Peter, but much less muscled. He was clearly not Gardanian for he had hair as dark as Edmund's and bright green eyes.

She stared at him as he eyed her up and down appreciatively, an almost smug smile on his face.

"Good morning all...my dear wife." Riordan started with a mocking smile on his face.

Felicity remained silent at his words, waiting to hear what it was he'd come to say.

"I offer you the chance now to come back to the Gardanian ships with me; and we shall hear no more of this nonsense." Riordan continued after a pause.

"No. She is a Narnian and belongs in Narnia." Peter replied instantly, his face guarded.

"Very well, but as you may have noticed, Narnia is no longer the only side to have the aid of magic." Riordan said, baring a grin at them all. "Joseph here can control his own element.."

The young man, Joseph, smirked at Felicity. His eyes had not wavered from her in all this time. He snapped his fingers and a flame appeared in his hand out of thin air.

"So, it seems we're the chosen ones." He said to Felicity, raising an eyebrow and giving her a crooked smile as he flirted with her. "But my magic is still better than yours.."

Riordan glanced at him in annoyance as the handsome man blatantly flirted with Felicity.

Felicity snapped her own fingers, making a moving mass of floating water appear in her hand. "Water quenches fire every time."

"It's all to do with strength." He said, his crooked smile turning into a smirk. General Timmond too was now looking at him with barely disguised disgust.

Felicity raised her eyebrow in response and stared him down. "There is a difference between strength and an inflated ego." She replied coolly.

Edmund gave a snort of laughter followed by several strange noises as he tried to stop. General Timmond's mouth twitched before he could control himself and Joseph's smirk disappeared and he now observed Felicity through slightly narrowed eyes as he judged her character. His eyes flicked between Felicity and Peter as he noted how their bodies naturally inclined slightly towards each other.

"What's the matter, Joseph? Am I no longer your type? What...too intelligent for you?" She taunted; she knew Joseph's type; he expected her to be simpering at him in his hand, not retorting back.

As a last symbol, Felicity moved her hand slightly and the mass of water flashed from her hand to Josephs, encasing his small fire and preserving it. She raised the floating mass slightly higher to the eye level of all the men and with a clench of her fist the fire was extinguished and the water suddenly exploded into nothing, evaporating back into the air she'd taken it from.

"It's to do with who fights for the right cause." Felicity said, digging at Joseph by using a phrase similar to his and also digging at Riordan; who fought for nothing.

"Prepare yourself for an onslaught." Riordan said dramatically.

"Prepare yourself to get wet." Felicity replied before turning and stalking away, back to Cair Paravel with the three Narnians following her.


	36. Love Solves Everything

_Sorry it's taken me about 2 weeks to update this story...I have to say though I'm generally pretty good when it comes to this story...but it's been a hectic few weeks! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter; the reviews made me very happy! Everyone please review again. Enjoy!_

Sure enough, the Gardanian army gathered the next day with Joseph at their head, though Riordan was still nowhere within sight.

Felicity stepped out ahead of the rest of the army; Joseph would try and find her magical weakness and then launch an attack on the waiting Narnian army.

Joseph started to walk towards her, and so she did the same, walking towards him until the two stood with one metre of sand between them, each waiting for the other to make the first move.

Without him noticing Felicity heated the moisture in the air around him, bringing him out in a sudden sweat. Recognising it as her doing he retaliated, making fire stream out in a blast towards her from his hand. Immediately without so much as a flutter of her eyelashes Felicity counteracted him, gathering and throwing water at him from her own hands in a split second. His fire extinguished he next attacked her from below, making flames burst up from the group underneath her, but she had foreseen his attack and was holding the moisture in the sand as ice. She felt him trying to fight through and intensified her efforts whilst making the sand underneath him turn to ice. As she'd hoped he immediately slipped, falling to all fours, his concentration was broken and Felicity was able to momentarily rest.

His ego dented, he heated the ice back to sand and stood back up, this time making his fire spiral around her, whipping her hair and dress violently as it encased her tightly, hiding her from view.

Back with the Narnian army Peter gasped, his concentration as tight as Felicity's as he sought to see her, panicking at the thought of losing her.

Suddenly the spiral of fire exploded into nothing and Peter was able to see Felicity again. She lowered her arms as both remained motionless.

Joseph had one more go at bettering her but she counteracted him with a flick of her wrist before it became apparent what he was going to do.

"So, the pretty girl knows a thing or two about fighting." Joseph taunted, but his heart wasn't in it. Just as Felicity had assumed; he was a boy used to girls simpering around him and begging him for his attention. He didn't like the fact that Felicity was indifferent to his looks, and that she was more handsome than him.

Felicity smiled; he was like a stereo-typical film character, shallow and easy to predict. "You just wish I loved you instead of Peter and was married to you instead of Riordan."

He turned without a word and began to walk back to the Gardanian army and Felicity did the same, a triumphant and nervous look on her face.

"Well?" Peter asked, from his position he'd been unable to tell if the two had exchanged words.

"I won. I'm stronger than him." She said with a small smile. Her victory had been the confidence boost she needed.

"What happens now?" Peter asked frantically as he stared straight ahead at the motionless figure of Joseph.

"Now he attacks the army." She replied; her small glow of triumph fading as she prepared herself to protect Narnia's citizens.

Immediately flames flared up below the feet of the Narnian army, but Felicity extinguished them by pulling water from the sea so quickly that very few Narnians were scorched.

"Should we attack?" Peter asked her as he waited for Joseph to act again.

She shook her head without taking her eyes off the small form of Joseph opposing her. "It's easier to defend the army when they're all together."

Fire snaked out of Joseph's hands, gradually winding its way towards the Narnians and creating the same spiral it had done only moment previously with Felicity. Using the same sea water she encased the Narnians in a globe made of the water and filled with air. The fire sizzled around them as it died against the water.

Felicity's brow was furrowed in concentration as she made thousands of tendrils of water snake around each Narnian, surrounding them in a watery web whilst still allowing them to live. All of the Narnians froze as the water twined around them, afraid to touch the magical water.

The Gardanian army began to advance now as Joseph tried to make fire appear in the air around the Narnians but found his plan ruined by Felicity's forethought as his fires went out instantly.

She lowered her tiring defence of the Narnian army and took a moment to breath, allowing Peter to support her.

She was relieved to find that Joseph really wasn't inventive in his attacking methods. If he continued to be so obvious she'd easily be able to block his attack no matter what angle it came from.

She encased Joseph in a mass of moving water, blocking him from view. Suddenly icicles as strong as steel and as sharp as a needles burst out of the sand. Each only inches from its neighbouring icicle, the deadly spikes quickly spread over the sand towards the approaching army, disappearing into their midst and causing most with weak-soled boots to scream in pain as their feet were pierced straight through.

The water encasing Joseph evaporated into steam and he attacked Felicity personally now, seeing it as the quickest method to disperse the icicles. Sure enough, Felicity's concentration was broken as fireballs much bigger than she'd expected were hurled at her.

He threw five; each one only slightly smaller than Peter's room, and she was forced to pull as much of the sea water out as she could to create a chute that seemed to swallow the fireballs, extinguishing the huge balls of fire slowly. The chute wasn't enough to extinguish them completely and Felicity had to direct the chute so that the fireballs ended up in the sea, unable to harm anyone.

Both were physically fatigued from their efforts and took a moment to repose themselves, breathing heavily and sagging tiredly. But Felicity had Peter to rush to her side and support her physically and mentally whilst Joseph had no-one; only General Timmond who was a stranger to him.

The General held Joseph up and ordered another soldier to support him from the other side whilst Peter wrapped his arms around Felicity and held her, supporting her body by himself.

"That's enough." He whispered as she tried to catch her breath; to him, she was worth more than all of Narnia. He was fighting to keep Narnia, but also for Felicity. If he failed, she'd be captured by Riordan, and he couldn't let that happen, no matter what the cost. But at the same time; it'd all be worthless if he allowed her to fight to the death. Felicity heard the love in Peter's voice and for a moment she wanted more than anything to give up, to simply curl up in her bed in England and have only exams to worry about; not the lives of thousands.

The sunlight reflected off something golden in the Gardanian army and suddenly she felt filled with strength; no the magical kind but the mental kind. She felt strong enough now to fight with only her mind. Finally, she shook her head at Peter. She was stronger than Joseph.

Still being supported by Peter she clenched her fist. She'd realised that the way to defeat Joseph was one of the simplest; it was something she'd been doing to Gardanians as soon as her magic had returned.

The blood in Joseph began to boil. He let out a strangled cry as he found himself unable to act to defend himself; too tired to attack Felicity his power was useless when confronted with heat. His cry was cut short as his skin flushed pink and the light in his eyes died.

Felicity sagged even further in Peter's arms, her brow lined with sweat at her exertions and her mind exhausted.

"Done it." She managed to gasp.

Peter picked her up and let her loll her head against his shoulder as he began to walk back to Cair Paravel.

"It is done. The enemy magician is dead." He called out to his army as a dismissal. There would be no more fighting for the day. They let out a raucous cheer and began to create a dividing line between them all to allow Peter to pass with Felicity.

They cheered her as Peter carried her past and she managed to give a smile, though her eyes were barely open.


	37. A Peace Treaty Of Sorts

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, everyone be proud of me; this is definitely the longest chapter I've ever ever ever written! Please review this chapter, it does make me happy...oh, and also check out my brand new story, SILENT WORDS, which is out now! Enjoy! _

"Well, I'm not sure what Riordan will do next but all this waiting is beginning to annoy me." Edmund stated as they all sat down to dinner. It'd been 5 days since Felicity had killed Joseph and since then there had been no sign of them forming in preparation for a battle. Peter had opted against going out and attacking them because of the difficulty involved in getting the Narnian army across the water, and he didn't want Felicity attacking again unless it was necessary. They now knew exactly how dangerous her power was and he knew Gardania wouldn't attack without a backup plan.

"Edmund, don't say such things!" Susan said indignantly. Felicity rolled her eyes at the ridiculousness of Susan; she knew exactly what Edmund meant.

"I think you can lower the guard around me now, Peter." Felicity said as she swallowed a mouthful of pheasant.

"Absolutely not." He replied instantly, so resolute on the matter he didn't even look up from his plate. For the last 5 day's he'd had two guards placed on each balcony, two outside his bedroom door and five patrolling the outside corridor. He was so worried about Riordan targeting Felicity, to kill or kidnap her, that wherever she went she had two wolves, Shate and Unef, with her for extra protection.

Felicity rolled her eyes and ate a mouthful of carrot.

"A boat is approaching!" Cried a faun, running into the hall quickly. "They're coming with olive branches!"

After a moment of silence everyone around the table sprang up and ran to Edmund's room. Everyone jostled for the best view on his balcony as they all squinted at the approaching little wooden boat. A telescope appeared and was handed to Felicity.

"It's Riordan." She said, everyone turning to look at her expectantly as she peered through the telescope. "Riordan...and General Timmond...and someone I presume to be Prince Rabadash, and one other person I don't know..and four soldiers."

Peter took it from her. "It's definitely Prince Rabadash, and Tarkaan Schrakneff."

They all hurried back down to the great hall suddenly where there was a great flurry of movement as everyone attempted to clean up the hall and make it look as imposing as possible. The dinner was cleared away and the table put horizontally to the doors and a group of Fauns were dispatched to fetch the four royals crowns.

Everyone sat down on the far side of the table, Peter in the middle with Felicity and Edmund flanking him, then Susan and Lucy.

Behind them and around the room stood Orieus, Harlow, Tommy, Mr Tumnus, Orieus' four sons, the beavers, and a representative of the most intimidating creatures in Narnia. The two wolves who'd been assigned to protect Felicity sat down directly in front of her on the other side of the table.

The hall was quiet with only the muttering of a few to disturb the silence. A scout had been dispatched and he'd return when the party were a minute away.

"Do you think they intend to surrender?" Susan asked hopefully down the table.

"No." Peter replied shortly. His tone clearly told her he didn't want to speculate any further and Susan leant back in her chair, disgruntled.

"They're here." The lioness, Aria, said as she padded into the room, taking her place beside Mr Tumnus.

There was an air of excitement and expectation as everyone adjusted their clothes and stature to make themselves look as strong and imposing as possible.

Felicity straightened her back and lifted her chin slightly in preparation. Peter glanced at her briefly before doing a double take.

Felicity looked at him, full of embarrassment and horror for he seemed to be staring down her dress.

"What?" She mouthed at him, darting glances at the door as she expected Riordan to walk through it at any moment.

Peter touched the chain on her collarbone and pulled on it until the Narnia pendant he had given her emerged from her dress. He let it go and it fell back into place, on the outside of her dress and in full view.

"Keep it out." He muttered. Felicity looked at him in confusion before understanding what he was doing. It was silly; a small gesture to show Riordan that she was Peter's, not his. She had thrown away the simple wedding ring Riordan had given her as soon as they'd left Gardania; it now lay at the bottom of a stream.

The party of eight walked in menacingly, their boots and armour emitting ominous clanking sounds. It was not Felicity's imagination; they were walking slowly as if to make themselves seem more threatening than they actually were.

Riordan's face was exactly the same. He looked as though he was still living in a palace, not a ship that he'd been on for weeks and weeks. His lips moved into a sneering smile. He spared Peter only one glance before focusing on Felicity and only her. She stared steadily back, controlling her breathing and blinking so that she did not indicate in any way how quickly her heart was beating.

The group were not announced; a subtle discourtesy that they retaliated to by not bowing to Peter.

"Queen Felicity." Riordan started, being discourteous to Peter yet again by refusing to address him first. "I have bought some clothes for you from Gardania. They are waiting for you in our room on my ship."

"Then please feel free to send them to me." She replied coolly.

"Do you not want to collect them yourself?" His tone was sarcastic; he was mocking her with his lame attempt at tempting her back to Gardania.

Felicity tossed her hair over her shoulders and leant forwards on the table. "I will not go anywhere with you, coward."

"Come now." He retorted with a smile on his evil face. "Are we not married? By Gardanian law you must obey me, and I order you to return with me to my ship."

"But we are in Narnia now," Felicity retorted with a genuine smile, "High King Peter makes the laws here."

Riordan finally turned to face Peter, allowing Felicity to look at the others with him.

General Timmond was still watching her, his face grave rather than full of dislike as she had expected. Felicity held back the urge to smile at him; despite his position in the Gardanian army, she had always found him to be a polite, sensible man with a pleasant face.

"I am here to discuss the terms of a peace treaty." Riordan told Peter whilst Felicity inspected the rest of the group.

Prince Rabadash could not make up his mind if he'd rather stare at Felicity or Susan. His gaze flicked between the two for a moment, but when Felicity turned to examine the rather striking Tarkaan Schrakneff, she saw his gaze fix on her from the corner of her eye.

"Return her to me, and the war shall be over." Riordan said. Felicity did not even have to look at Peter to know that he would refuse, but before Peter could speak Rabadash practically jumped in. He'd looked at Riordan with a strange expression that Felicity could not read.

"And, I most humbly request the elegant hand of Queen Susan." He added, smiling at her so sweetly that, had Felicity not been told stories by Susan, she would not have believed him possible of cruelty.

"I suggest," Peter started, running a hand over his chin as though seriously thinking something through. Their small acts of discourtesy had all been noticed by Peter and he realised that they were past a time for eloquent language and impressive gestures, "that you return to your ships immediately before I have my guards chase you there."

There was silence around the room and a slight sense of shock. Felicity and Tommy, used to much more dramatic threats and violent language, struggled to hold back their laughter whilst Susan fought to keep herself from apologising to the party of behalf of her brother. Rabadash looked stunned; the language of the Calormene was much more eloquent than the Narnians and he had never been spoken to as such in his life. Riordan merely raised his eyebrows, his gaze unwavering from Peter's eyes.

"You have no right to bargain yet again for Susan's hand, Rabadash. We already reached a compromise between Narnia and Calormen." Edmund suddenly interjected, lounging in his seat in the typical stance of a bored teenager.

"Yes, well that was before my beloved sister returned to me in tears because King Peter had abandoned her; left her at the mercy of the monsters you rule." Rabadash said, recovering quickly and becoming much more frank with his use of language.

"I only agreed to marry your sister; there was nothing in the agreement about being a good husband to her." Peter replied, staring Rabadash down.

"This is irrelevant!" Riordan suddenly interrupted, holding up a hand to commandeer everyone's attention. "Queen Susan is not part of the bargain. Just give me Felicity, and this scuffle with Narnia shall be forgotten."

"I have a better idea." Peter said after a moment's thought. He'd remembered Felicity's words that Riordan was a coward; hiding on his ship rather than fighting with his army as Peter did. "I suggest you and I fight. Single combat, one on one, till the death."

Riordan stood frozen for a few heartbeats as he tried to figure out what was the best way to wriggle out of the situation.

"Why would I do that when my army is twice the size of yours?" He finally asked with a sneer.

"Because this time last week it was four times as large." Peter replied with his eyebrow raised, almost taunting Riordan. "Because Felicity's magic has returned, and if I ask her to she can wipe out your entire army in five minutes." Felicity forced herself not to look at Peter in horror. He'd said nothing to her about wanting to fight in single combat with Riordan. She'd told him that Riordan was a coward, but she hadn't told him that he was also good with a sword.

Riordan was silent yet again.

"Whoever survives wins Felicity and the other's country." Peter added, tempting Riordan. "I'm sure you want me dead, King Riordan...it can't be nice knowing that people are ridiculing you everywhere you go. Everyone knows Felicity and I are sharing a room..news travels fast when it concerns royalty." He said with a sly grin, taunting Riordan to accept the terms and agree to the fight.

His plot was working; a vein was standing out in Riordan's forehead as he fought to control himself. "I will crush you, boy." He finally said, spitting out the last word with disdain written all over his face for of course to him Peter was a boy; he was only 19 whilst Riordan was 29 and had received training in almost every aspect of his life since he could walk and talk, whereas Peter only had four years experience in everything to do with being a king.

"I look forward to it, grandfather." Peter replied, raising an eyebrow and smiling invitingly. "10 o'clock tomorrow. I'll have an arena drawn up."

Riordan turned to Felicity, schooling his face into a smile in a moment. He bowed low to her in a grand gesture. "I'll see you tomorrow, my Queen. Have your things packed and ready."

"Wait, no!" Prince Rabadash protested angrily. "You include me in the treaty, or I will take my army straight home!" He declared. Felicity's body convulsed slightly as she held back laughter at his petulance. Riordan's hopes of a dramatic departure were ruined as he turned to Rabadash in annoyance.

"Leave then. I no longer need you or your ridiculously small army!"

Rabadash pulled out his curved sword and lunged for Riordan, but General Timmond had seen it coming and defended his king, stepping in front of him and deflecting Rabadash's blows until he was able to strongly push him away. The Narnians around the room instantly bristled; the predatory large cats and wolves stood, poised and ready to attack should they turn on anyone Narnian. The two guards who were Gardanian stepped in and defended their king as well; taking up a stance directly in front of him. The remaining Calormene drew their swords and stood, poised, ready for attack.

The tension in the room was broken by Peter giving a loud laugh that Felicity knew to be fake. "I will see you tomorrow, Riordan. If you survive the journey home!" There was a smattering of laughter around the room as other Narnians laughed at Riordan who stormed out in annoyance.

After a moment of uncertainty, the Calormene followed the Gardanians out, their swords still drawn in preparation.

They had only been gone a few seconds when chatter started up around the room again. When she was sure no-one would be able to overhear her she wheeled round on Peter. "What do you think you're doing?" She demanded in an angry hiss. "Riordan may be a yellow-bellied coward, but he is still talented with a sword! Why did you suggest that?"

Peter stared at her face for a long time, unable to reply.

"You said yourself I can wipe out his entire army in five minutes, so why not let me instead of risking your life?"

"I'll speak to you about it later." He muttered back before standing up and walking around the table to discuss tactics with Orieus.

With that Felicity had to be content. Tommy walked up to her and leant over the table to whisper to her. "Did you suggest he fight with Riordan? Because I really don't - "

"No!" Felicity cut him off immediately. "I don't bloody well know why he's doing it!" She said, unable to stop herself directing her anger at Tommy instead.

"Come on. We need to talk." Tommy said, stepping away from the table and reaching out a hand to her to indicate she should join him. Instead of being lady-like and walking around the table she simply slid over it in her annoyance, landing between the two wolves who'd been assigned the duty of guarding her and walking out of the room with Tommy, refusing to look at Peter.


	38. Fighting For Love

_I'm sorry it's been about 2 weeks since I last updated, but on the plus side this is a mega-long chapter! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time and to those of you who've checked out my new story, SILENT WORDS. So...who's watching the royal wedding tomorrow? My mum has actually organised a street party...which should be fun! And in the morning she's giving me her credit card to go shopping with! Life is gooood! And it'd be even better if all you wonderful readers would review! Enjoy!_

That night Felicity went straight to bed without attending dinner, and pretended to be asleep when Peter later came into the room. Though her long talk with Tommy had calmed her she could not forgive Peter for his actions. He was doing it again; just as he had in the war with Calormen he was taking all of the responsibility himself. Then, it had been marrying someone he'd never even met; now he was taking the fight alone.

Peter slid into bed and still put his arms around her and pulled her close to him, just as he did every night. Felicity had quickly discovered that it was very difficult to fall asleep on your own when you had become accustomed to the warmth of another's skin next to you. And, even in her angry state she was unable to help herself as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning she awoke to find herself alone. Judging by the position of the sun it was still early morning, about 8 o'clock. Putting on Peter's dressing gown she opened the door and spoke to the two wolves lying on the doorstep.

"What time did Peter get up?"

"About 2 hours ago. He's preparing for the fight." Shate told her, looking up at her with his big eyes.

Felicity shut the door again and carefully selected her dress. She wanted to look good; after all today would be a day that would be recorded in history books no matter what the outcome. Sleeping on her worries had actually helped and she felt much calmer; the treaty had been made and Peter could not back out now; all she could do was support him. She was a queen and it was time that she started acting like one.

She pulled her purple dress over her head and brushed her hair, leaving it loose as she did practically every day.

No-one but Mr Tumnus and Tommy were still at breakfast.

"Where's Peter?" She immediately asked.

"He ate about an hour ago. I think he may be training with Edmund." Mr Tumnus said, looking at her anxiously.

As Narnia's most skilled sword-fighter, Edmunds input and ideas would be crucial to help Peter win. Felicity swallowed and sat down beside Tommy; perhaps she wouldn't disturb Peter. She needed him to get all the help possible.

Tommy pushed the plate of sliced bread towards her but Felicity shook her head with a rueful smile of thanks. She carefully studied the fruit bowl before selecting the smallest apple; it was all she could stomach.

"I've already shown him how Riordan fights. He's prepared." Tommy told Felicity, trying his best to reassure her.

Mrs Beaver soon bustled in and cleared away the breakfast things, which meant it must be 9 o'clock. Felicity left the great hall and retreated to Peter's room. If he was not already there then he soon would be to put on his armour. She stopped in the doorway when she saw him.

"Leave us." She quietly ordered the faun who'd arrived to help Peter put on his armour. He immediately trotted out with his head bowed and Felicity approached Peter, picking up one of his leather wrist guards.

The silence grew between them as he willed her to look him in the eyes; to let him know she believed in him. "I will beat him you know." He finally whispered as she refused to speak.

She paused in her job. "I know." She whispered quietly, the lump in her throat changing her voice; she was remembering her promise that morning that she would support Peter, make him believe that she was behind him, even if it was a lie.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, catching hold of her hand as she turned away from him to wipe the tears from her eyes. "What is it?"

She looked at the floor and then up at the ceiling with unseeing eyes as she tried to stop crying. Peter clasped her to his bare chest and she let out a few strange squeaks as she fought to keep her sobs down.

"I know you'll win." She finally said, taking a step away from him and wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "I know you'll win, but I will know forever that I endangered your life. This is the kind of world I've created around myself; one where two armies are fighting over me! What kind of selfish creature am I that I can put the love of my life at risk for my own happiness?"

Peter stared at her, speechless. "I make my own decisions, Felicity. I choose to fight him."

"But why?" She whispered. "Why are you fighting him when you don't have too?"

Peter sighed and wriggled his wrist distractedly as he made sure the leather was in the right position. "Because we're fighting for more than what's agreed. We're fighting for your honour! Your status is fine within Narnia; you are too well loved for them to think badly of you, but the rest of the world does not know of our troubles. You cannot gain your own honour by killing his entire army. The only way I can restore your honour is if I fight and kill Riordan."

Felicity bit her lip in horror. It was too late now; Peter would not go back on his word and withdraw from the fight when he saw himself as fighting for her.

She put on his other wrist guard and finished dressing him in silence until he caught her wrist and kissed her palm with extraordinary tenderness.

They shared one last kiss and embrace before Felicity picked up his sword and shield and followed him down the stairs to the courtyard.

Most people were already at the pitched ground, but sitting on the steps waiting was Edmund. Peter had chosen four marshals, Edmund, Felicity, Orieus and Honeysnout; the bear.

Felicity handed Edmund Peter's shield and as was tradition, the two followed Peter out of Cair Paravel and to the ground, walking on either side of him. Felicity carried his sword in both hands on his right hand side and Edmund walked on his left, carrying the shield so that the lion crest faced directly forwards.

It was not a typical Narnian day for the sun had disappeared behind grey clouds. The pathetic fallacy made Felicity swallow as she realised that if it looked like Peter was losing; she'd have to intervene. Honour be damned.

The Narnian army had separated into two clusters, leaving a wide path in their midst for Peter. By some freakish accident Riordan was just walking to his end of the battle pitch from his tent, accompanied by General Timmond who was carrying his sword.

Lucy tried to smile at Felicity as the older girl walked past, but only a painful grimace managed to make an appearance. Tommy stood next to her and regarded Felicity through steady eyes, assessing her mood.

The Calormene army had indeed left in a hurry the previous night, but they only accounted for 20 ships out of the remaining 90. Their participation had been small.

Riordan swung his leg over the rope and climbed into the marked space, closely followed by Peter on the opposite side.

He turned to Felicity as if having read her mind. "Don't do anything, unless they start cheating." He warned her, positioning his shield on his arm.

She grudgingly nodded slightly and handed him his sword.

"Tell me you believe in me." He whispered so quietly not even Edmund overheard.

"Without a doubt." She whispered back. She believed in Peter's capabilities completely; it the Gardanian's she didn't believe in.

He smiled, reassured and turned to face Riordan.

The two approached each other slowly, assessing each other for weaknesses.

Not a word was exchanged before Peter lunged at Riordan, kicking up sand behind him as the two exchanged blows. Riordan blocked each easily and the two stopped again after only a few seconds; the brief encounter had only been to see the strength of the other.

It was Peter who attacked yet again; aiming for Riordan's head before changing mid-swing and attacking his legs that were only protected by thin chain mail. His sword bounced off harmlessly but was hard enough to give Riordan a bruise and make him falter slightly in his defence. Peter took advantage of his moment of weakness and rained blow after successive blow on the older man, stretching him to his limits.

The sand was not at all ideal for the fight; it flew everywhere and stung Peter and Riordan as well as their spectators in the eyes. Both men were stumbling every now and then, becoming tired much more quickly than normal as they fought with the ground as well as each other.

There was nothing backhanded about the fight; it was based purely on sparing skill. But just as Felicity realised that she directed her attention to Riordan's marshals instead of the fight, expecting some sort of trickery from them. Felicity was the only marshal, or indeed the only person on the beach, who was unarmed; everyone else who was human carried bow and arrows or a sword, and as she watched the marshals she saw an archer crouching some distance behind one of them, his bow and arrow drawn, ready.

Clenching her fist subtly she made the air directly around the bow and arrows burning hot until the archer dropped them as they threatened to burn his skin. He stared suspiciously at the weapons in the sand before looking up directly into Felicity's eyes.

He narrowed his eyes at her and she simply raised an eyebrow arrogantly, sending him the message that no cheating would take place whilst she was there.

Looking back at the fight she realised Riordan had somehow turned the tables and it was now Peter who was fighting hard to stay alive.

She forced herself to breath properly, sucking in a sharp breath of horror as Peter fell to the floor, rolling and staving Riordan off with his sword.

Riordan jabbed down, inches from Peter's face, but he used Riordan's own momentum and managed to hit him in the side with his shield, sending Riordan crashing to the floor as well. Both men scrambled up; Riordan far more tired than Peter, and circled each other for a moment, each trying to find an even footing.

Felicity scanned the surrounding crowd again for anything backhanded, doing a double take when she realised the archer she had stopped earlier was no longer there.

She narrowed her eyes and squinted into the Gardanian army, trying to remember the exact details of the man's face.

Peter and Riordan were still stalking each other when she heard the unmistakable twang of an arrow being released. Unable to locate it she raised her fist and heated the air a metre in front of Peter from rope to rope of the arena. The arrow burst into flame on Peter's left and dissolved into a pile of grey ash on the sand.

"Cheating will get you nowhere." Peter declared loudly to Riordan.

"Then let us have 10 minutes respite to enable me to deal with this archer..." Riordan practically purred, looking for any excuse to take a break and get his breath back.

"It doesn't take 10 minutes to kill a man." Peter growled in reply. "Five."

The two backed away, still facing each other, neither trusting the other.

"Good work." Peter muttered to Felicity as Edmund took his sword and shield. He sat down in the waiting chair with a sigh of relief and a goblet of cold water and a towel was brought to him.

He drained the goblet in one and held it out for some more which Felicity summoned for him with a flick of the wrist. He raised his eyebrows up and down quickly at her and smiled as he acknowledged how handy her power was.

Edmund took his goblet and Peter removed his helmet, wiping at his sweaty head and face to make himself feel more refreshed.

"How am I doing?"

"Well." Edmund responded immediately. "He fights like Tommy showed us. Time to wrap it up, Peter." He encouraged with a half smile, wanting the tension to end quickly.

Peter smiled and took back the goblet, taking small sips of the cool water now. Felicity heard the twang of an arrow once again and turned as quickly as a flash and clenched her hand in front of her. The air in front of the three of them turned into thick ice that the arrow thudded into, inches from Felicity's fist. The archer had been aiming for her that time.

The ice pounded to the sand at their feet, the arrow sticking straight up out of it.

Peter made a noise of annoyance in his throat and looked at Felicity. "Can you keep that up?"

Felicity nodded confidently. "But protecting you continuously is more difficult. I'll have to do it around the whole arena and protect Riordan as well."

"That's fine. I want it to be a fair fight." Peter said, standing up again and dusting himself off. He declined his helmet, claiming that the sand that was getting trapped inside it was too annoying.

With his back turned Felicity cooled down the air subtly around him, refreshing him but leaving his muscles warm and supple.

His back straightened slightly as some of his discomfort was eased, and Felicity gave a small smile; she had done it without his knowledge because he wanted a fair fight but she intended to help him in any way possible.

Riordan had been watching them and Felicity smirked at him, taking her Narnia pendant out of her bodice and putting it on show as he watched.

Felicity's little ploy had worked and Riordan practically jumped over the rope, attacking Peter instantly. One of the first things General Timmond had told her (before he knew she was so bad with a sword) was to never fight in anger. The overriding emotion made you weak and sloppy. You took risks that almost always resulted in death or injury.

Peter was having difficulty holding off Riordan's strong blows and Felicity clasped a hand over her mouth as he managed to slice straight through Peter's chain mail, cutting into his bicep and causing extensive bruising around it. She fought not to give in to her desperate need to summon magic and help Peter, but suddenly Riordan left a wide opening and Peter lunged with all the power he had.

His sword travelled straight through Riordan's chainmail, just below his breastplate in one of the weak spots.

Riordan seemed to freeze, his sword still raised.

Having realised he'd finally done it; Peter braced himself and hauled his sword out of Riordan's abdomen.

He straightened just as Riordan fell to his knees, his eyes glazing over as everyone watched on in silence. He fell, face down in the sand and suddenly the entire Narnian army was cheering and celebrating.

Felicity joined in and Peter turned to face his army, raised his sword above his head and screamed, "For Narnia!" In a voice louder then Felicity had ever heard. His eyes were so alive; sparkling with triumph and victory as though taking Riordan's life had given him the older man's energy as well as his own.

No more cheating arrows were fired now. Timmond dragged the body of their dead king away as the other marshals began to order the army back to the ships.

Peter ran over and gave Felicity a long kiss as he won back her honour before climbing out of the arena and being congratulated by any who could reach him.


	39. Love Is Blind

_Sorry it's been a while since I updated, I've just been so tired I've had no creative juice in me! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last time, please do so again because it makes me happy and everything...Enjoy!_

General Timmond came to Cair Paravel the next afternoon to find everyone very hung- over and tired. Lucy had quickly healed Peter's small injuries and the celebration party had continued with dancing and singing until the sun was high in the sky. The fauns had provided constant music, the nymphs and dryads had danced with dwarfs and everyone had drunk a lot of wine.

The majority of Narnia had only retired to bed a few hours ago, but those in Cair Paravel briefly stayed awake, struggling not to yawn constantly as they talked over the fight in detail again and again.

The General walked in, escorted by a faun and Felix who had been promoted to the Captain in charge of training the human troops. The skilled fighter grinned at the yawning Felicity who sleepily smiled back. Timmond was carrying Riordan's shield, helmet and sword; Riordan's armour was now Peter's if he wanted it, but the blonde king dismissed it. Why would he want man-made armour when he had dwarf-armour; the finest in the world?

"So, I have chosen Harlow, and his wife Esme as your Viceroy and Vicereine. I will knight them tomorrow morning, and then you will be free to leave." Peter said, stifling a yawn. He had not even discussed this with his siblings but he knew they'd approve. "They will leave as soon as they are ready with a group of their own selected advisors. As for your position - "

"You can remain General." Felicity interrupted suddenly. Peter looked at her questioningly.

"He's a good man. He won't double-cross you." She whispered to him behind her hand.

Peter turned to face Timmond again and smiled more warmly at him. "Yes, you may continue as Gardanian general."

"Thank you." Timmond said with a bow before bowing also to Felicity, recognising that she had saved his job. He turned and left, unable to stop himself casting a wary glance at the Faun who escorted him.

It'd been five months since the war with Gardania and Peter and Felicity were to be married a month later. Both of their marriages had been annulled straight away by the friendly Minister from Archenland.

Felicity flew over the forest on Eghjun. The dragon was one of the two who had fought with the Narnians against Gardania and Calormen and he'd agreed to be Felicity's temporary ride on the basis that Peter would do his best to make the other Narnians accept the two dragons into their community.

Peter had regretfully accepted that Felicity was right; her magic could solve their new problem without risking the deaths of anymore Narnians. Nevertheless, Peter and a band of 15 soldiers raced over the ground beneath her, following the searching dragon. Peter had wanted the dragon because of his scales; they were impenetrable by anything other than diamond or dwarf-made weapons. The chances of Felicity being harmed on his back were slim and the dragon had keener eyes than the majority of the Narnian beasts.

The dragon dived suddenly down and Peter and the Narnians headed that way cautiously, unsure of exactly how close the Calormene were.

After a smooth landing Felicity dismounted Eghjun silently and walked the few metres to the Calormene camp with the dragon following her.

She emerged into the clearing suddenly, as quickly as an apparition. The men gave a sudden shout and scrambled for their swords as they saw her, recognising her as the sorceress being hailed as even more beautiful than Queen Susan.

Neagasus sat in a corner; chained down to the floor and restrained so tightly he could barely move, with a talking tiger chained to a tree next to him.

Felicity smiled at the Calormene in a charming way and summoned the moisture in the air. Within a second it had flowed over each man, freezing their joints and rendering them incapable of any movement but that of their eyes.

Felicity laughed a little at their expressions and even Eghjun gave a chuckle.

With a clench of her fist she cooled the chains around Neagasus and the tiger so strongly that they broke, snapping at different points and falling from their bodies. The tiger instantly began to rub at his neck when the metal collar had dug in cruelly, and Neagasus stumbled up and shook his head, flapping his wings a few times as his legs became accustomed to movement again after a night in such strict bondage.

He trotted over to Felicity and gently nuzzled her face affectionately. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lady Felicity."

"And I too." The tiger chipped in, now trying to get his ruffled fur to lie down right.

They had been captured the night before by a large band of Calormene rouges, presumably to be sold for very large amounts of money. Felicity smiled at them, admiring them both for their skill. Neagasus had left 6 of the 20-strong group of men dead and the tiger had left 4 dead, leaving only 10 to be caught and punished by the state.

She shook her head at Neagasus and stroked his velvety nose. "There is no need to thank me." She replied simply. "Eghjun, would you mind telling Peter to hurry up?"

The dragon stood on his hind legs and raised his head, letting out a deep roar that was accompanied by a bright jet of flame that flew feet into the air before disappearing and leaving only a trail of smoke behind.

"Thank you." She said, looking into the trees opposite them as she expected Peter to appear at any moment.

Sure enough, he flew into the clearing with a war cry before he and his soldiers slowly stopped as they realised the Calormene's were not responding to their invitation to fight.

Peter spied Felicity and dismounted, stalking towards her angrily. "YOU! You were supposed to wait in the forest and let us deal with it!"

"Certain circumstances prevented me from playing only a passive role." Felicity said with an innocent smile.

Peter was overjoyed at the recovery of the Narnian beasts, but Felicity had disobeyed his orders yet again. The recent war had made him realise that he was not acting the role of king well enough.

"I will speak to you about this later." He replied quietly with complete seriousness before turning and stalking back to his soldiers. "Bring them all in!"

"I fear we have upset the king." Eghjun said simply, watching Peter's retreating back.

"It would seem so." Felicity said with a sigh.

"You cannot go against me every time I give you an order!" Peter cried in exasperation as he paced his study.

"I did what was necessary to achieve the result we wanted with the least amount of hassle!" Felicity retorted immediately, unused to being reprimanded. Peter had called for her from his study, a formality between them that was as alien to her as being reprimanded.

"I had already decided on a course of action! You are constantly bettering me in front of my troops!"

"What!" Felicity exclaimed in disbelief. "Is that was this is about? Your ego? You are yelling at me because of how I make you appear to your troops?"

"Yes! That is exactly why we are having his argument!"

"Perhaps if you had made the right decision in the first place I wouldn't have needed to go against your orders." Felicity shot back, her retorts coming quickly as their argument deepened. It had been so long since she'd had a serious argument with anyone; she'd almost forgotten how to.

"Whether I made the right decision or not, I am your king and you must obey me!" He did not like what he was saying, but he had to do it or he would begin to lose his status as King.

"Edmund is also my King! What if I choose to obey him instead of you?" Peter took a deep breath as she surprised him with her reply. He didn't like the way she'd phrased her words; it almost sounded like she was a possession of Edmunds; the kind of possession a wife was.

"In a month we shall be married. And then I shall be your husband as well as your King, and as my wife you must obey me whether you like it or not." He said in a much quieter tone as his anger suddenly became directed at the absent Edmund.

Felicity too paused in their argument. Peter had surprised her with his new attitude and she found herself wondering if she'd actually been blinded by love and that he'd been like this the whole time.

"I only obey orders I want to. So I choose to refuse you as my King, and as my husband." She said seriously, staring at him with a blank face, her emotions masked in all but her eyes. She immediately turned and walked out of Peter's study swiftly before he could even understand what she'd said.

By the time he understood and knew what he had to do, Felicity had already left Cair Paravel.


	40. A Bloody Torture

_Thank you for the reviews everyone, this story seems to be growing in popularity which is lovely! I've just realised that this story is really getting quite long...this is chapter 40! So; I still have a few ideas, but now I don't know if I should keep going in 1 very long story, or if I should make a sequel? So, I'd very much like the opinions of those I'm trying to please! I.e. you...so, please leave a review letting me know what you think! Enjoy!_

Peter gave a sigh of exhaustion and ran his hands tiredly through his hair, dishevelling it and making it stand up comically in odd directions. For the last three hours he'd wandered around Cair Paravel's surrounding grounds, calling for Felicity. It had taken him only moments to realise that he had to apologise and try and reason with her. They had to get past this; it was their first true argument; a turning point in any relationship. If they could get past it they were set for the rest of their lives. He truly did love her and the sudden thought of not spending the rest of his life with her was almost unbearable, but she would have to change her attitude just as he did; he would try to view her less as his possession on the condition that she viewed him as her King. But on top of his duties as a fiancé, he still had to organise homes for the remaining orphans of the war, check the export of Dwarf-made daggers they were trading with Calormen in exchange for sugar, and sort out the dispute that had arisen between the Oak trees and the Willow trees.

The sparrow arrived at Cair Paravel only moments before the minotaurs barged into the courtyard with their leader carrying the screaming Felicity. Peter read the hastily scribbled note as her cries began to echo throughout the castle. Peter scrambled up from his seat and ran through the corridors; following the heart-wrenching screams. Within seconds he had reached the kitchen where they'd placed her on the large wooden table.

Tommy stood by her side, worry and fear in his eyes as he consistently shouted her name above her screams in the hope that it'd bring her out of her daze. As soon as he saw Peter he moved over and stood by her head instead. Peter rushed to her side and attempted to catch hold of her hand; noticing the tiny needle marks in her wrist as he caught it for a moment.

"What's happened to her?" Edmund cried as he entered the room, his eyes large and black in the gloom. He'd heard the terrible screaming and now saw Felicity writhing in agony on the table.

"Fetch Lucy!" Peter told an anxious kitchen faun. "She's been tortured." He said to Edmund as he desperately tried to hold her down by her shoulders. Felicity's eyes were clenched tightly shut and her pain-filled face was dripping with sweat.

"Been? She still is being!" The younger of the two cried.

"Queen Lucy is in Archenland." The faun said as soon as he could make his voice heard above the screams.

Peter swore in a very un-kingly manner as he remembered that his sisters had left last week with Mr Tumnus to give aid through the magical cordial to the Archenlanders affected by the outbreak of typhoid.

"Peter?" Felicity's weak voice came from teeth clenched in pain as her screams stopped momentarily. He scrambled to hold her hand again as her eyes tried to focus on his. "Make it stop. Make it stop it hurts." She screamed again and clenched her eyes as soon as she'd managed to force out her sentence. "It hurts!" She cried again, repeating this short phrase over and over as she thrashed on the table.

"Who did this?" Edmund demanded angrily of the watching Minotaurs, trying not to flinch as another of her screams ripped through the air. "Do you have the culprits?" The latter was furiously directed at Peter with a hint of hopefulness. His rage was growing as Felicity's screams finally started to subside and he saw how small and vulnerable she looked in her semi-conscious state. She was too exhausted to speak again and was simply trying to recover her breath and stay awake.

"No." Peter said quietly. "They must be long gone; my main focus right now is Felicity." He didn't even look up at his brother as he spoke; he was too busy holding her hand and gently wiping the beads of sweat from her brow with his thumb.

"Damn it, Peter!" Edmund cried, slamming his fist on the table next to Felicity's feet as the exhausted girl now lay still. "These people need to be found and stopped! If you won't order the troops, then I will!" He said, pointing his finger in an accusing way at Peter.

Peter stared at Edmund for a moment before straightening up and looking at his brother incredulously. "You...you love her, don't you?" He finally asked.

Edmund's rage visibly drained from his face as he glanced away, unable to look his brother in the eyes.

"Don't you?" Peter demanded. The only sound in the silence that followed his accusing question was Felicity's light breathing as she started to recover.

"I doubt that you will find a man anywhere in this world who's not in love with her." Edmund said quietly, his voice controlled and his gaze on anything but Peter.

Before Peter could further voice his disbelief Felicity gave a small cough behind him before her gasping breaths were replaced with a sort of wheezy panting that sounded painful.

Peter immediately turned back to her and rushed to her side, placing his hand on the top of her head uncertainly as her body convulsed with another cough and something trickled out of her open mouth as she struggled to catch her breath. With trembling fingers he touched the dark liquid, deciphering it as blood after a moment's horror.

"Get help!" He suddenly screamed, losing all control as he realised the worst was yet to come.

Edmund was the one who went for help; glad to be both away from Peter and doing something helpful. Calling one of his dove's with a whistle he related a message to be given to General Orieus immediately and for her to fly as swiftly as possible. Once the dove was gone he stood in the open window for a moment, struggling to deal with his own feelings at the possibility of Felicity dying.

But no, she would not die. General Orieus would be with them in five minutes and he was one of Narnia's best and wisest physicians.

Edmund returned to the kitchen where he found Tommy dipping a torn scrap of his shirt into a basin of water for Peter to dab on her head as her fight to breathe drained her energy.

Unable to listen to her gasps of pain and constant coughing that was no doubt bringing up more blood, Edmund left the kitchen again and stood in the castle entrance as he waited anxiously for Orieus to appear. The moments ticked by with Edmund shuffling his feet uneasily as time seemed to drag but he eventually heard heavy hoof beats that could only be Orieus and sure enough the General soon appeared in the darkness, galloping quickly towards Edmund.

"It's Felicity. She's been tortured." Edmund said shortly as he accompanied the swiftly moving General to the kitchen. Without wasting a moment the General bent down by Felicity and started to examine her, gently touching her neck with his fingers and inspecting the blood that trickled out of her mouth as she coughed again.

He stood up straight with a sigh and raised his head gravely till his eyes met Peters. "They introduced the oil of the profity flower into her system by pricking her skin with needles dipped in it. It has eroded her insides and she is in intense pain."

"So, can you help her?" Peter asked, unable to blink as he stared at Orieus in horror at the gruesome images he now had in his head of Felicity being eaten from the inside out.

The General shook his head gently in the solemn manner he had. "She has a matter of hours to live, no more than 2, and all that can help her is the Queen's cordial."

Ideas speedily ran through Peter's mind as he decided the best course of action.

"Tommy, get Felicity a blanket. Orieus, Fetch your fastest son. Edmund, send a dove to Anvard telling Lucy to ride back. Hopefully we'll meet her halfway."

Tommy and Edmund departed to their tasks instantly; glad to have a responsibility to focus on as the sound of Felicity's scream reverberated through their minds again and again.

Peter turned back to Felicity but Orieus stopped him.

"Remember, my liege, Lady Felicity is a magical being never before seen in Narnia. Queen Lucy's cordial may not have the desired effect."

Peter stared at the serious centaur for a moment as he realised he was right.

"It has to." He replied quietly, the thoughts of the cordial failing too much for him to bear.

Orieus' second eldest son, Freres, was carrying Peter, who was then carrying Felicity, wrapped up in a blanket, in his arms.

She was incredibly weak; her eyes constantly rolled back up into her head and she could not focus on anything. A hand limply hung out of the blanket, a blood dotted tissue in her loose grasp.

Her breathing was becoming increasingly laboured as she struggled to stay alive and Peter was forced to sit there, unable to help her.

They'd been riding for almost an hour already and were only slightly less than halfway to Archenland. Edmund had dispatched his dove moments before Freres had arrived, but the dove could not fly so fast as to have reached Lucy already and Felicity had less than an hour to live.

"Keep fighting. Whatever you do, don't go to sleep." Peter warned her for the 8000th time, tightening his grasp on her as Freres jumped over a stream in a single leap.

He'd talked about every mindless topic of conversation he could think of, and now he was counting seconds in his head as a brainwave came to him. The Dryads had the ability to appear wherever they wished, as long as it was no further than 2 miles from their tree.

"Dryads." He shouted into the darkness, directing his address at anyone who was listening. "Get this message to Queen Lucy; she must ride back immediately and bring her cordial. She is in Anvard." He finished, hearing the rustling of leaves as the dryads were stirred into life by his words.

Now he could do nothing but wait.


	41. Does This Count As A Dream?

_Yaaaay It's only been a week and I've already updated with a really long chapter...woooow! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, I read over the first few chapters the other day and realised how much my writing's improved! Well...at least I like to think it has! Do please review again, it makes me happy! And if you haven't already reviewed, then you definitely should! Enjoy!_

"Lucy!" Peter cried in relief as he heard hoof beats. He had no idea if it was Lucy, but he had to believe it for another half hour had passed and Felicity had but minutes to live.

Her breathing was so difficult now each breath elicited a small cough from her, and the tissue was so drenched in blood it could hold no more.

Relief rushed through Peter as a figure that could only be Lucy jumped down from amongst the group of horses and ran towards them. Freres too stopped suddenly and Peter dismounted, bringing Felicity down to a level where Lucy could reach her mouth.

The queen asked no questions but immediately opened her cordial and let one drop fall into Felicity's mouth.

Felicity stopped breathing and so did Peter as he tensely waited for her to start again, almost believing that if he willed her to enough, she would.

She breathed in deeply and Peter laughed in relief, however he soon stopped when he realised that she was not awake. She was breathing and clearly alive, but her eye-lids remained closed. She hadn't been healed and energised as everyone else who was given the cordial was, but rather she seemed to be sleeping.

Remembering Orieus' words he swallowed loudly and tried to plan ahead.

"When will you be back, Lu?" He asked, wondering if more cordial at a later date would help her.

"I should be done in Archenland by tomorrow evening, or perhaps the next morning."

Peter nodded and thanked his sister before handing Felicity to Freres, jumping up on the Centaur's back and then taking Felicity from him.

"Please hurry." He said as they turned and left.

"Do you want me to take over so you can sleep?" Tommy asked cautiously; Peter was very tired and a little tetchy.

"No." Peter said simply, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Peter, it's been 5 days. If you don't get some proper rest you'll fall ill and you know she wouldn't want that..."

Peter was silent as his muddled and exhausted brain tried to make sense of Tommy's words. He was starting to lose hope; Lucy had given her another drop of cordial 3 days ago and then again earlier that morning, but still Felicity remained unconscious, seemingly in a coma.

Peter finally nodded and stood, leaving the chair free for Tommy to take. "Just make sure she doesn't suddenly-"

"I know." Tommy interrupted.

"Right." Peter said after a pause, rubbing his palm over his face in an effort to make himself more alert, if only for a few minutes. "Send someone to wake me as soon as there's any change. I'll be sleeping in her room." He muttered; Felicity was lying in his room, and so he had the choice of her room (which had been empty for quite a while now) or any of the guest rooms and so he naturally chose her room.

He cast one final glance back before he closed the door behind him, and was disturbed to see her so tiny in his bed. She had taken no nourishment for 5 days and a side effect of her magic was that constantly falling unconscious from using too much of it and missing meals for days had made her a little too thin even before that.

Meanwhile, Felicity felt like she was floating on a cloud and it was the most relaxing feeling she'd ever experienced. As often happens in dreams she had absolutely no concept of time and didn't particularly care about it.

After what seemed like forever, but also no time at all, Felicity sat up and looked around and found that she was indeed on a cloud that was floating alongside many other clouds, many of which had the motionless forms of others sleeping or relaxing.

Rather than falling off her own cloud in surprise she merely raised her eyebrows momentarily before settling back down and spending another indefinite amount of time simply relaxing against the softest cloud she'd ever lain on. The blue sky was above her and at that moment she couldn't be bothered to move and discover what was below her. It was the air that surprised her; a warm, drowsy temperature, and there was no noise, but Felicity was not unnerved by the silence. It was a light, fluffy silence that made her think even more of clouds.

"Good day, Felicity!" She sat up at the voice that called her name and immediately noticed that there were considerably less clouds around her now and on the one closest to her reclined a heavily muscled, handsome man who looked ageless (though when people later asked her how old he looked she estimated at 28).

Her cloud sailed closer to him and she called back a greeting, moving and sitting with her legs crossed as she stared at him. He reminded her of the statues of the Greek god's she had seen in museums in England; his face was symmetrical and he was so beautiful she knew he was inhuman.

"It's a wonderful day for resting, isn't it?" He asked in a much quieter voice now she was closer.

"Indeed." She replied, thinking vaguely of how very odd this all was.

"You're body is very busy." He said, leaning forwards slightly and looking down at the ground. After a moment Felicity did the same and she saw hundreds of tiny figures fighting hundreds more tiny figures. As she caught sight of them she heard the sounds of the battle, the clanging of steel on steel and the cries of the wounded. She pulled back and looked at the man again and as she did all the noise stopped, but when she looked back at it again she heard the noise.

She slumped back from the edge of her cloud; she had seen more than enough battles in her short life time.

"Are they my body?" She finally asked; this young man seemed to know how everything around here was run.

"Oh yes, and they're doing a mighty job of fighting off that troublesome Profity oil." A bunch of grapes magically appeared by his side on the cloud and he began to slowly eat them, all the while looking down at the battle below.

"But I thought Peter was taking me to Lucy to get some of her cordial. Are we still not there?"

The young man looked up at her now and smiled benevolently. "My dear, you received the cordial 5 days ago; and then again 3 days ago, and then again this morning." The calming air around Felicity stopped her from panicking. "It doesn't work on you because you are magical; I chose you as my human Goddess, but a side effect of that is that no other magic works on you."

There was a pause as Felicity processed this information.

"So, I'm dead?" She finally asked.

"Good grief, no!" He laughed gently and ate another grape. "You're in Olimpes. The land where deities relax each time they use their magic too much."

Felicity frowned at him in confusion. "Hang on, I'm a deity?"

"Of a sort. You are a human, but can have deity status if that is what you desire."

"And what does that mean exactly?"

"You will be worshipped throughout Narnia, and in many other lands, though by a different name, and you will no longer be human."

"If I'm not human, I can't stay among humans, can I?" She asked, thinking straight away of Peter. No-one ever heard of an ancient Greek or Roman God or Goddess spending their life with a mortal.

"You know the answer to that one." He replied gently.

"Then I choose to remain human." There was a pause before Felicity finally realised she had missed a question she should have asked long ago. "Who are you?"

He smiled at her and offered her a grape across the increasingly small gap between their clouds. She ate it, surprised to find it even better the Narnian grapes. "In your home land, I am Neptune. In Narnia, I am Triton."

Felicity slowly nodded, more to herself than to him and it was only then that she noticed his signature trident lying on the cloud beside him. "Are there others like you?"

"Many. In your world we are the Ancient Gods, as well as the less famed ones worshipped in lands that are foreign to you."

"Then what is Aslan?" She asked quietly.

"Aslan is our leader; we are all under his command."

"What am I in my world?" She asked, very confused now. If she was a human Goddess in Narnia, what would she be in England where there was no magic?

"In England you are you." Neptune/Triton said simply, and oddly enough Felicity accepted his simple response.

"Why did you choose me?" She finally asked; thinking of Joseph and wondering if he had been chosen by the God of fire, Hephaestus.

"Because you were the answer to all of King Peter's prayers." The God said quietly before they merged with another group of clouds, each with an unearthly man or woman reclining on them, eating and laughing with each other.

"Felicity! Excellent work with those Gardanians and Calormene!" A young man called out to her as he sipped from a goblet of something. A spear and shield lay beside him and Felicity smiled as she knew him to be the God of war, Mars or Ares. "Triton here had me sworn to intervene if things got too messy; but you handled it all very well!"

A few of them turned their backs on her angrily, and she wondered if they were the Gods she had offended and shrank back a little nervously.

"Here, have some nectar and ambrosia before you go back. It'll give you strength on your journey home!" Bacchus said to her, holding out a goblet which she took a sip from. She recognised him by the grape vines that spilled over all of his cloud.

"You've certainly done well for yourself with that handsome blonde King." A young woman Felicity took to be Aphrodite said to her with a wink. "But then again it's no wonder. Look." She held out a mirror as Felicity's cloud floated past and Felicity gasped as she saw herself as having the same unearthly beauty as the twelve men and women.

She wanted to stay and ask more questions, but her cloud had already floated past them all so she instead jumped up and waved as her cloud gathered speed and the group gradually diminished.

When she awoke she felt completely energised and a tired-looking Peter jumped up from the seat beside her.

He pulled her to his chest tightly, tighter than he ever had before.

"I was so worried." He whispered finally, unwilling to let her go. "What happened?" He asked, holding her at arm's length and staring into her eyes.

Felicity smiled at him, and for a moment she looked as she had done on the cloud amongst the Gods and Goddesses, but of course she didn't know that.


	42. A Convincing Smile

_Ahhhh it's been over a month since I last updated! I'm so sorry, I genuinely feel bad! I've generally been quite good with this story and updated it every week for aaages, but unfortunately I had an intense exam period and I'm sure you all know how it is! I just didn't have time, and thought I love writing these stories my studies had to come first for a little while – though it killed me inside! Anyway, thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter, can I just say this story is getting LONG! Please review this chapter, it makes me happy! Enjoy!_

"I'm sorry." Felicity whispered quickly, remembering their argument. Despite discovering what she was, her meeting with the gods and goddesses had cleared her mind and she could see where her thoughts and expectations had been clouded and selfish.

"What? What for? It's not your fault! Come, tell me what happened and I will have these people regret the day they were born." Peter said, cupping her cheek in his hand and looking deep into her eyes, almost expecting to see what had happened there.

But Felicity took his hand from her face and held it in her own; they had to talk about this or they would have no future. "No, I'm sorry for what I said – the day I ran off." She explained, trying to ignore her dry mouth and sudden need to lie back against the pillows. "I shouldn't have refused you as my King; you were chosen by Aslan just as I was chosen to serve you by Neptune. But - "

"I'm sorry that I said you had to obey me as my wife...I didn't mean it!" Peter interrupted desperately, cupping her face in both of his hands now as he tried to convey his true sorrow at what had happened; in his fear for her life he'd forgotten their devastating argument. "I don't know why I said it, I - "

"So we're still on for the event in 3 weeks...?" She checked; she didn't need to hear him grovel. She could see his apology in his eyes and once again trusted her judgement of him. She had not been blinded by love.

"So long as you still love me." He replied with the happy smile of a relieved man. Leaning forwards they shared a long kiss that was only halted by Felicity flopping tiredly back against her pillows having found the extended use of her stomach muscles was too much for her undernourished body.

"You rest. I'll bring you some food and water and - "

"No." Felicity protested, struggling to sit up again. "It's been a week since I last saw everyone! I'm sure I can manage to get down the stairs, I'm not some ill, frail woman!"

Peter bit back his retort that she was indeed a frail woman. She was thinner now than ever before; he could see her ribs protruding beneath her nightdress and her collarbone stuck out sharply. After a moment of dithering he decided to simply give her what she wanted. He could carry her downstairs and then carry her back up if it became too much for her.

He helped the weak Felicity out of bed and downstairs to the Great Hall where Tommy and Edmund were helping the Queens narrow down the ideas for decorations for the Great Hall before the long list of possibilities were presented to Felicity.

Thank God you're ok!" Tommy said immediately jumping up and hugging Felicity tightly. She hugged him back and smiled broadly, trying to ignore the pain she now felt in her bony ribs after his tight embrace.

She hugged Edmund next, oblivious to the watchful eyes of Peter on them both. Then Lucy, then Susan, and each time she fought down a wince of pain for she was so overjoyed to see them she didn't want to ruin the moment.

"You're so thin!" Susan exclaimed in horror after their embrace. "Liontes, fetch some simple food and drink for Lady Felicity, please." She called out to a dwarf who stood on guard at the Great Hall doors.

"Come, sit here, you must be weak!" Edmund exclaimed, drawing a chair halfway across the hall for her to sit in immediately. She collapsed in it and laughed a little as Peter pushed her and the chair all the way back to the main table where everyone sat down, looking at her expectantly.

"So, what happened?" Lucy finally asked, sitting forward in her seat eagerly.

"It was very odd." Felicity began, leaning back and trying to remember everything. "I found myself floating on a cloud in the sky, and a young man was floating there too and we had the sky above us, and a battle was going on beneath us, and he said that it was my body fighting off the profity oil - "

"What?" Tommy interrupted in confusion, his face the puzzled mirror image of everyone else's. "Hang on, we meant what happened to you before that; how did you get the profity oil in your system?"

"Oh, sorry." Felicity said with a little laugh. "That's simple enough. One second I was walking through the West Wood, the next I was being attacked. They came from behind and held me to the floor and pricked my wrist with needles." She explained, holding up her left hand and examining her wrist, looking for the telltale needle marks that had now disappeared. "Anyway, they let go within seconds and when I got to my feet I saw they were from Calormene and there were about 5 of them disappearing amongst the trees. Then I was overwhelmed with pain and...that's about all I remember..."

"Did you recognise any of them?" Tommy asked with a frown.

Felicity shook her head slightly and smiled at Liontes as he brought her bread and hot broth. "I didn't see their faces, and I have no idea why they did it; they didn't say anything to me or even speak to each other...not a word."

There was silence around the table and Felicity began to eat, dipping small chunks of bread into Mrs Beaver's broth.

"I'll start the search for these men tomorrow." Peter finally said; his eyes distant as he considered all of the possible reasons for why she had been attacked.

"So what's been happening in my absence?" Felicity asked between mouthfuls.

"Not much – we've just been continuing with plans for the wedding." Susan explained, her face immediately lighting up and she pulled a whole stack of papers towards her from a few seats down the table. "Which reminds me – we need to narrow down the colour palette for the flowers, now, do you want them to match - "

"Not now, Su." Peter said with a slight frown.

"No, it's ok, Peter, we need to finish the plans." Felicity said with a smile. "Go on." She said to Su, sipping some of the broth from a large spoon.

"Do you want them to match your bouquet, or do you want a completely different colour for that? And if so, you'll have to be careful you select colours that compliment. I suggest cream roses arranged all around the palace and perhaps pale blue flowers in the bouquet because they're a symbol of love like roses."

"That sounds beautiful; does Narnia have enough cream roses to decorate the entire palace?" Felicity checked, looking first to Peter who nodded that he too approved of the choice.

"You know the rose fairies can do anything if given enough time..." Lucy chipped in happily.

"And is 3 weeks enough - "

"Of course." Susan said with a smile, making notes on a completely separate sheet of paper to the many she had spread out in front of her.

Sensing Felicity's sudden onslaught of tiredness, Peter intervened. "Perhaps we should continue this tomorrow."

"Yes, I am feeling a little tired..." Felicity admitted, carefully using the table as support whilst she stood up.

Peter jumped up to help her and picked her up in his arms, ignoring her protests that she was perfectly able to manage the stairs by herself.

"But I haven't carried you in over a week; my arm muscles are wasting away!" He protested, making her laugh a little.

"Oh fine, but only so that you get your workout!" She teased. "Goodnight, everyone!" She called out, peering over his shoulder as everyone else returned the farewell.

Once out of everyone's sight she finally gave in to her heavy limbs and relaxed against his chest whilst he climbed the stairs. "No, wait!" She suddenly said, stopping him seconds before he put her down on the bed. "I need to brush my teeth and stuff!"

Peter rolled his eyes and changed direction, gently putting her down in the en suite.

"I'll be back." He said, quickly running back down the stairs and to the kitchen where he asked Mrs Beaver to always have some broth and simple food on standby for the next week or so whilst Felicity recovered and to be prepared for her to constantly eat throughout the day as she put weight back on. When he returned to his room Felicity was already settled back in bed, completely hidden underneath the thick quilt she'd pulled over her.

He slid in next to her only five minutes later and she turned over to face him, not quite asleep yet. She gave him a tired smile and a small yawn which made him smile back. She closed her eyes, but something had been bothering Peter.

"What were you saying earlier about the clouds?" He finally asked.

Her eyelids fluttered open at his question and there was a momentary silence before her sleepy brain processed the information. "I met all the Ancient Greek and Roman Gods." She explained, wriggling slightly in the bed. "They were on the clouds too, and they explained that this place in the clouds was Olimpes and they go there to rest and relax after they've done too much work...and Triton said that he chose me as his human goddess, and if I want I can become a goddess and be worshipped." She finished her slightly muddled explanation and closed her eyes again.

Peter smiled at what had clearly been an elaborate dream. "Then why don't you?" She made a questioning noise and raised her eyebrows slightly. "Become a goddess." He elaborated.

"Because they said I can't take you with me." She answered, opening her eyes and looking at him as though her answer was the most obvious in the world. He smiled and kissed her briefly on her forehead at her words.

"Why were you chosen as his human goddess?" Was his next question, he could see how much she needed to sleep but he wanted to find out about her dream before she forgot about it all.

"He said it's because I was the answer to all of your prayers." Peter jolted slightly as he realised she was right; she was everything he wanted, the answer to his prayers, his desires, his dreams...at that point he realised that she had not been dreaming, she had instead had one of Narnia's odd, magical experiences.

"So you spent a week in the Olimpes place?" He checked.

She shook her head and yawned again. "No. At least, I don't think so...there wasn't really a sense of time there...I didn't realise any time had passed at all until Triton told me that Lucy kept giving me the cordial. Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm really, really tired." She trailed off.

"Did the cordial help?" Peter asked urgently.

Felicity groaned a no gently. "Doesn't work on me." She said softly.

Peter finally let it go and hugged her to his chest, but he didn't go to sleep himself, instead he stayed awake for hours, worrying about her.

The next day he was far more tired than Felicity who woke up refreshed and alert, if still physically weak.

A couch was temporarily installed in the Great Hall for her and she spent most of the next week there, finishing plans for the wedding and eating almost nonstop in an effort to put on enough weight to fit into her wedding dress.

Peter had given her full control of the wedding; he didn't understand the need to have coordinated decorations and complimenting food anyway, so he let Felicity decide what she wanted so that she could have the wedding of her dreams. To him, all that was needed to make it the wedding of his dreams was her.

He instead spent his time following leads and investigating reports as to whom the mystery Calormene could be, and in his spare time he worried about Felicity. He worried about what they would do if she became injured or contracted a life-threatening illness. If the cordial wouldn't work on her there was nothing else they could do. And then there was what she had told him about Triton, he worried that he was holding her back, preventing her from becoming the deity she deserved.

But on their wedding day the beaming smile she wore all day and the happiness he saw in her eyes convinced him that he was worrying for nothing, that she was happy exactly where she was.


	43. Home?

"Edmund's met someone!" Peter told Felicity incredulously. "He says in his letter...her name's Lavinia and she's an Archenlandian Duke's daughter...they're already engaged!"

Felicity stopped brushing her hair and looked over at Peter with a smile. "Why do you sound so angry about it? If it'll make him happy then you should be happy! Poor Edmund, he's been so out of sorts for the last few months!"

Peter stopped pacing at her words as he realised that she did not know that Edmund was in love with her. "Of course." He replied quickly, unsure now of why he had been so angry. "She's coming back with him when he returns from Archenland; she's to be his wedding guest. They'll be here today." He said, folding up the letter and putting it down on the small desk.

"It must be serious then." She mused, carefully placing her crown on top of her head. It had been presented to her at her coronation upon their return from their honeymoon. It was deceptively simple and its complexity was only apparent if you studied it at length. Made by Narnia's most skilled dwarfs it was pure silver and millions of tiny diamonds. Diamond spirals encircled tiny diamond flowers and were bordered by diamond leaves. Everything was tiny, smaller than Felicity's little toenail so that the crown would not be too heavy. "Will Lune be accompanying them here in time for the wedding or is he travelling separately?"

"Separately; Lune will be here tomorrow; apparently Sasha wants to help Lucy with the preparations in any way she can." Peter explained, coming up behind her and smiling at her reflection in the mirror. He'd ordered the crown to be done in nothing but diamonds so that it would not clash with anything she wore and she could wear it all of the time.

"Well, you know what great friends they are; whenever I ask Lucy if she'd prefer this or that she asks me to put it on hold and she'll get Sasha's opinion before deciding!" Felicity exclaimed with a little laugh. Peter too laughed and touched her cheek tenderly with his finger before looking for his own crown; today the two were visiting the south east corner and would be settling small disputes and problems in the neighbourhood before watching the centaurs perform their yearly salute to the sun.

"How's Tommy feeling about it all? Is he nervous?" He asked, wobbling his head from side to side slightly to ensure his crown would not fall off.

"Far from it! Every time I see him he's smiling broadly! I reminded him that marriage is much more sacred here then it seems to be in the England we left, but he just said he knows that already and couldn't love anyone more than Lucy…"

"Good, I'm glad, they both deserve true love." Peter said, finishing tying up his shirt. "The kind of true love - "

" - That we already have." She said, finishing his sentence and standing on her tiptoes to give him a lingering kiss on the lips.

"Come on, we've slept in far too late." She said, pulling Peter towards the door with a smile.

"Good morning." Felicity called out, leaning out of the open window that overlooked the training yard. The 6 men stopped and bowed to her, each calling out greetings. "Have you decided on a location for your honeymoon yet?" She called out to Tommy, the only human in the yard.

"I think Lucy wants to go to the chalet in the Lone Islands." He called back, mopping the sweat from his brow.

"What, do you not want to?" Felicity asked in concern.

"I'm happy to be wherever, so long as she's there." He replied simply with a shrug.

"I know the feeling." Peter muttered in Felicity's ear. She grinned and let him spin her underneath his arm and lead her towards the great hall for their late breakfast. The two had gone to Archenland for their honeymoon; they'd stayed briefly with King Lune at Anvard and then had moved on to Lulworth Castle in the South of Archenland. Once there they had revelled in their two weeks of anonymity; they had been able to walk down the street without guards, to attend festivals and night markets without anyone recognising them as Narnian nobility.

But now she had become fully ingrained in royal duties, and she loved it all.

£$%^&*

"Are you coming with us?" Peter asked as he walked into their bedroom that afternoon. Felicity sat at her dressing table with her chin leaning on her hand. She whipped around to look at him as she heard his voice and stood up with a strange look on her face. "You better hurry up!" He urged, looking at her nightdress. She stared at him for a moment before replying.

"I'm pregnant." She blurted out.

The seconds ticked past as Peter tried to make the link between what she'd just said and riding. With a roar he charged at her and swung her round and round before kneeling before her. Placing his hands on her waist he kissed her slightly swollen stomach repeatedly as she giggled at his joy.

He finally stood up and kissed her lengthily on the mouth. "We have to tell the others!" He exclaimed, his face alive with happiness.

He sat down on the bed and babbled away about their child's future with a huge grin on his face as Felicity changed into her riding gear.

"- oh, and we'll get them a horse! I really tame one to start with - " He babbled on as the two made their way down to the courtyard together and was only quiet when Felicity put her finger to her lips, her eyes flicking poignantly in the direction of the others who were all mounted on their horses.

"Finally." Tommy called out, pausing in his conversation with Lucy. "We thought you'd fallen asleep again!"

"Everyone." Peter said dramatically as they all drew closer. "Felicity's pregnant." He said quickly, unable to keep the words in his mouth a moment more than necessary.

Lucy screamed happily and jumped down, throwing her arms around Felicity's neck whilst Edmund gave his brother a manly hug. "Congratulations!" Called out the six horses one after the other. Tommy gave Felicity a very long and tight hug and Susan kissed her on the cheek. The congratulations continued for a few minutes until Peter ran back into the castle and told some of the servants who then spread the news. Within minutes everyone was crowded into the courtyard, shaking Peter and Felicity's hands and congratulating them.

As everyone left a slightly dazed Felicity was helped onto Neagasus by Peter.

"Hang on..." Lucy called out. "Should you be riding if you're pregnant?"

"Oh, I'll be fine! I'm only a few weeks gone!" Was Felicity's flippant remark. "Besides, I want a wish!"

"I'll go carefully." Neagasus said to placate a suddenly very alarmed Peter.

"I still don't think-" He started to protest.

"Oh, Peter!" Felicity interrupted him with a fond laugh. "If we catch the white stag we can both wish for something for the baby!" That persuaded Peter and the six set off at a gentle trot.

"Do pregnant women sleep a lot? If so, then that explains your recent need to sleep almost constantly!" Edmund teased her when the two slowed down, Edmund so that Philip could rest and Felicity because Neagasus insisted on it, for the sake of the baby.

Felicity laughed a little at his gentle teasing. "I suppose they do. I only hope I don't get bad morning sickness! Anyway, I'm not the only one who's been significantly absent from the duties...how was Lavinia?"

Edmund's face fell and he shook his head a little. "It turns out she's got quite a history of failed engagements...she broke off her last engagement when she met me...it seems she's only after material wealth in life..."

"Oh, I am sorry..." Felicity said regretfully, seeing the pain in his face.

"It's ok, I don't think I truly loved her, otherwise I'm sure I'd be in much more pain than I am now." He explained, trying to think of a much lighter topic.

The stag jumped out of the path to the left that joined the one they were on, followed after a moment by the others. "Come on!" Susan cried in exasperation, suddenly emerging on the path after Tommy.

"Just catching my breath." Edmund replied defensively.

"Well that's all you'll catch at this rate!" She retorted.

Peter looked at Felicity expectantly and she nodded. She knew him well enough to know he was checking on her.

"What did he say again, Susan?" Lucy asked teasingly.

"You girls wait at the castle; I'll catch the stag myself." Susan did a very bad impression of Edmund and they all laughed gently.

"What's this?" Peter suddenly asked, dismounting from his horse and walking over to a street lamp with a flame burning inside it.

The others dismounted as well and walked over, Tommy carefully helping Felicity down of Neagsus first. In this case, they were the two outsiders who knew exactly what it was as they had not been in Narnia long enough to forget their old world.

"As if from a dream..."

"Or a dream of a dream." Lucy said musingly, frowning in concentration. "Spare Oom..."

They all followed her as she ran off, eager to know what she was thinking.

"Lu!" Peter called out as he waited for Felicity and Tommy to catch up.

"Come on!" She said back, her voice barely audible.

Peter grasped Felicity's hand as they jogged into the thickest area of branches.

Felicity hit something so sharply it made her gasp. Suddenly realising she was sitting haphazardly she straightened up and saw scraps of material in strange, bright colours all around her. She stumbled and struggled to her numb feet and carefully stepped away from the small rags into a lighter area.

She turned slowly on the spot and took in her surroundings as her mind trawled through her memories to find this familiar location. Everything was bright and gaudy; the room was messy with pieces of cloth slung over the floor and on the bed. Felicity realised with a jolt that this was the bedroom from her childhood and that the small rags were her clothes.

She flew into a sudden frenzy and jumped back into her wardrobe, barely noticing the bag that slipped off her shoulder. Zips and buttons hit her in the face for a moment before she collided with the back of the wardrobe. She rammed her shoulder into it again and again before the back detached completely from the rest of the wardrobe and hit the wall behind it. She came out of the wardrobe and looked down the back of it, feeling the solid wall with her hands. Narnia was gone.

"Felicity, what are you doing up there?" A voice called from downstairs. She froze completely as she recognised the voice as that of her mother.

"N-nothing!" She called back uncertainly after a long pause. Her voice sounded different; younger. She stepped to her left and stooped down slightly to look into her mirror. Her scared face looked back at her; but she was different; she looked 17 again. Dread flooded her as she caught sight of her flat stomach that no longer had a little bump. Feeling completely naked in black shorts and a pink top she stroked her stomach in horror for a moment as she realised what she'd lost. She started hyperventilating and thumped onto the floor, forcing herself to take deep breaths. Reaching out for her mobile phone on the dressing table her hand completely missed and she almost tipped over. The phone was further away than she thought. She picked it up and pulled herself up on her bed with deep breaths as she tried to think straight and remember what had happened years ago. Of 3 few things she was certain; she was in England, she was 17 again and Narnia wasn't in her wardrobe.

Spying her bag on the floor a few more memories came back; her red dress, her magic...she clenched her fist and willed the moisture in the air to turn into ice; but nothing happened. She felt completely spaced out as her numb fingers fumbled over her iPhone screen. The 12th July, 2010. It was still the same date as when she'd left.

_It was just a dream. _Her subconscious whispered to her. She shook her head to clear this thought before it infected her mind. Narnia had felt too real to be a dream. Turning back to her iPhone she saw that her last text was from Amy. "See you in 10." It said. The one before that read, "still ok for today?" Felicity remembered their sleepover and rummaged through her bag. A toothbrush, pyjamas, a make-up bag, a hairbrush, three packets of sweets, a red dress and a red flower hair slide.

Felicity slowly twirled the flower in her fingers for a moment before she clumsily dropped it. Leaving it on the floor she stood and touched the damaged wardrobe back gently with her hand again before picking up her phone and after 2 minutes of struggling managed to send Amy a text. "Not coming tonight. I've been sick. Sorry."

Once again she sat down on her bed; completely lost and uncertain what she was supposed to do now. She couldn't remember many aspects of her life in England. She suddenly remembered Tommy and jumped to her feet. If she was in England then there was a possibility that he was as well. He'd been out chasing the White Stag with them; chances were he was back in England now.

She restrained herself from leaping out of her house to find him and tried to think rationally. She only knew that he lived in Surrey; which wouldn't really help her in her search. The fear that Narnia had just been a dream crossed her mind again but she realised that Tommy would tell her if it had been real. If it had been just a dream he wouldn't know her. Turning on her laptop she searched his name and finally came across gig dates for his band. Checking her iPhone again for the date she realised that one of them was tomorrow and only a 30 minute bus ride from her. Her phone buzzed in her hand and she dropped it in fright before remembering that it was the signal for a text.

"Ok hun, feel better soon!" Amy had replied to her text. It was almost 6 o'clock and Felicity ran herself a hot bath so that she wouldn't have to talk to anyone.

"Mum." She called down the stairs, "I'm not going to Amy's, I don't feel well. I'm having a bath." She quickly shut the bathroom door behind her so that she wouldn't have to answer any awkward questions or take any medicine. She slowly took of her shorts and tank top with sluggish hands. Her limbs felt heavy; much like when she was drunk. Lying in the bath she tried to remember as much about her life in England as possible before trying and failing to control her magic again. Leaning her head back she quietly began to cry as she thought of her husband and the child she'd lost.

She cautiously climbed out of the tub one hour later and made a naked dash across the landing to the airing cupboard next to her room; she'd forgotten that she had to get her own towel. She went downstairs in her dressing gown and gave her concerned mum a hug. It was good to see her again but Felicity still felt strange and she'd gladly give up living with her parents if it meant she could get Peter and the baby back, or even just Peter.

"Do you want me to do you some fried rice?" Her mum asked kindly. "Do you think you could manage it?"

Felicity nodded mutely and shakily poured herself a cup of juice from the carton in the fridge whilst her mum fried the rice. She sat down at the island as her mum presented her with the food and kissed her cheek.

"Dose up on Night Nurse and you'll be better tomorrow. I have to go or I'll be late to my dinner with Margie!"

"Night, Mum." Felicity automatically called after her. Taking a fork full of steaming rice she blew on it gently before cautiously taking a bite. It was nice; but it wasn't... it had a strange taste to it. Nevertheless she slowly worked her way through the plate as the sun set. When the kitchen was dark Felicity left her empty plate and switched on the TV before immediately switching it off; the people's annoyingly shrill and whiny voices sounded so fake.

She took a few spoonfuls of Night Nurse as she checked the calendar. Her dad was on a night shift which explained why he was out at 8 o'clock. He wouldn't be home till 7 in the morning. She finally trudged back upstairs and went through the familiar and yet alien routine of brushing her teeth and cleansing her face before settling down into bed, a small part of her hoping that this was all a dream and when she woke it would be to Peters smiling face.


	44. Returning To Normality

_Wooow yay I'm updating after only a week! So, I've had lots of sequel requests, but not to worry, this one's still going! There's no need for a sequel yet! _

_I feel I must take this opportunity to reply to __**AslanFollower's**__ review – I would normally do this privately but unfortunately the review is anonymous. Anyway, Peter is so very different in my story compared to what Lewis writes about him as I've chosen to explore the romantic side of him which is something Lewis never goes into. It's true that I've moved completely away from the whole Christian thing in this story, but I feel I'm justified in including the Ancient Greek and Roman Gods as Lewis actually includes Bacchus in Prince Caspian..._

_Ok everyone, sorry, public argument over. Thanks to everyone who's already reviewed, everyone review again! Enjoy! _

The next morning Felicity attempted to familiarise herself with her old life again. She went on facebook and listened to music before investigating everything in her room. She left her iTunes playing as she investigated and almost broke down in tears as Adele's sweet voice came on with Lovesong. Unable to endure the sad love song she quickly made a playlist of 5 happy songs and played them continuously for the next few hours. By the time she was finished it was almost 3 o'clock. She heard her dad get up and take a shower before a meow at her door reminded her that she had a cat. She opened her door and her white and ginger kitten, Hugo, snaked his way around her ankles before jumping up onto her bed and meowing loudly to let her know he wanted to be stroked. She settled down against her pillows and Hugo lay purring on her stomach until she jolted awake at 6 o'clock.

She moved the sleepily protesting Hugo and took a shower before pulling one of her more conservative dresses out of the wardrobe. She awkwardly pulled it over her head and struggled with the zip up her left side before towelling her hair dry and putting on some eyeliner. She eyed the mascara warily before putting it on very slowly. Her eyes felt strange but so did the rest of her so she ignored the feeling and proceeded down the stairs, following the smells wafting up from the kitchen.

"Hello, Dad." She happily greeted the father that she hadn't seen in years by giving him a hug as he stirred bolognaise.

"Oh, hello. Did you fall asleep?" He asked teasingly. She nodded and sat down at the island with an apple. "Don't eat loads! Dinner will be as soon as your mum gets home."

The two made conversation about food for a few minutes and Felicity tried to be a normal teenage girl, relieved when they heard the front door open and close. "There she is." He said, starting to boil some pasta. "Hello, Darling. How was work?" He asked, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she came through to the kitchen.

"Ok. Busy but ok. Did you sleep?" She asked in return, his nod satisfying her. She then turned and gave Felicity a kiss on the cheek by way of greeting. "What've you been up to all day?" She asked, getting herself some juice from the fridge.

"Oh...just watching films and...stuff..."

"She fell asleep." Her father said with a little laugh.

"Still not feeling great?" Her mum asked worriedly.

"No, no I'm fine now. I just didn't sleep very well last night because I didn't feel good..." She improvised, watching her dad serve dinner.

"You should have taken some night nurse." Her mum replied distractedly, trying a forkful of the spaghetti before sprinkling parmesan on the top.

Felicity made a little acknowledging noise in her throat before quickly taking her plate through to the dining room, relieved to find that her mum was having a few problems with people at work and wanted to talk about that rather than ask Felicity any more questions.

"So, I see you're all dressed up, what are your plans for tonight? I haven't seen you ever wear that dress..." Her mum suddenly said whilst her dad cleared away the plates and got their pudding.

"I'm going to see a band perform." Felicity said honestly. "I'm going with Amy to make up for last night."

"Oh, how lovely, is that dress normal concert wear these days?"

"No, I'm going to Amy's first, she's still got some of my outfits from when she borrowed them so I'm going to wear one of those..." Her mum nodded her understanding before leaning off the table as her husband came in with their apple crumble.

After more talk of her mothers work Felicity took a taxi to the hall where Tommy was playing, her heart beating painfully. It felt almost like life and death to her – Tommy's reaction to her would be the difference between dreams and reality.

Standing outside in the queue by herself she received many strange looks from others in the queue, all of whom were with friends and wearing considerably less than her. She tried to ignore them and stared resolutely at the ground until she reached the door and was able to get inside.

The beat was loud; she could feel it changing her heartbeat as she walked into the hall and was confronted with a jumping crowd before a lit up stage. Hesitating for a minute she asked herself if she should really be doing this. What if Tommy didn't recognise her and it'd all been a dream? Could she handle it? Thinking of the sneering expressions on the faces of the girls in the queue outside if she came back out by herself again so quickly, she plunged into the crowd, weaving her way around people slowly and trying not to get injured.

"-and now we've lost our endings that we saved, when you left love for fame..." She could hear a younger Tommy singing and looking up she saw him standing behind the microphone, looking into the crowd with vacant eyes.

Unsure of what to do she made her way as close to the front as possible, wincing as someone stepped on her foot. The crowd was thickest at the front as screaming girls tried to reach up to the band.

"-when you left love for fame."

He glanced down at the girls, his eyes focusing again and just missing Felicity as his gaze darted around.

"-and now you'll sleep in the bed that you laid."

He finally looked to his left and his eyes immediately met Felicity's. He wasn't finished singing yet but he faltered and seemed to freeze as he stared at her. The band around him played louder as though he was supposed to stop singing there and the crowd around Felicity kept dancing, oblivious to his mistake. He stared and stared at Felicity, completely transfixed by her as the song ended and the crowd cheered. One of the band members who'd been playing the guitar clasped Tommy's shoulder and broke his eye contact with Felicity as he muttered something in his ear, his face concerned.

Tommy didn't reply as the band made their way off stage with Felicity fighting her way to the side to meet him. He'd definitely recognised her, now the only problem was getting to talk to him. Screaming girls were pushing past Felicity as they tried to get to him and halting him in his tracks as he tried to make his way towards the now invisible Felicity.

Felicity was forced to a stop by the wall of girls around him; there was no way she'd be able to get to him so she instead took a few steps back hopelessly until she saw his hair above the heads of all the girls.

He was pushing through them all without even blinking, his eyes fixed on Felicity as she stood uncertainly. Finally reaching her he grabbed her wrist and pulled her from the room without a word, hurrying as they tried to stay ahead of his fans. As they left the building they went past the queue and started more screaming and pointing; Felicity saw the shocked faces of some of the girls who'd previously sneered at her for being alone and she couldn't help feeling a tiny stab of satisfaction. A few of his fans followed them from the building and Tommy broke into a run, dragging Felicity along after him and he darted down an alleyway in an attempt to evade them.

"You're real!" He said in a stage whisper to Felicity as they emerged from the alley and he tried to decide which direction to go in. Choosing left the two ran on until they reached the town centre. Tommy chose an empty, small all night cafe and the two sat down opposite each other at the table furthest away from the counter, gathering their breath.

"You're real!" He repeated after a moment. She nodded.

"I had to find you, to make sure it wasn't all a dream.." She said hesitantly.

"It wasn't! I mean, I thought it might be, but the fact that you exist proves that it wasn't a dream! Right?" She nodded again, unsure what else to do.

"What can I get you?" The waitress asked, smiling at Tommy suggestively. The two jumped as they were reminded of their setting.

"Erm...a coffee, please." Tommy said after a moment of uncertainty.

The waitress turned to Felicity, her smile automatically decreasing. "Hot chocolate, please." As the waitress walked away they leaned towards each other again.

"Did you come back where you'd left?" Tommy nodded, assuming that she had as well. "You hadn't been stabbed had you?" She asked worriedly, remembering their conversation back in Gardania.

"No. I think I was just punched..." Tommy stared at her again. "You look a bit different with make-up on. I mean...you look nice, but different." She gave a small smile.

"I feel different as well."

"Me too!" Tommy leant forwards again eagerly, his voice lowering as though they were discussing something naughty. "My body...it feels weird! Like at tonight's gig, I was supposed to play the guitar as well but my fingers wouldn't work properly...I had to use the mugging as an excuse..."

"It's because we're young again. I'm smaller than I used to be."

"Me too. I spent ages in that alley, pacing up and down, running into the walls...I wanted to go back." Tommy trailed off sadly before perking up a bit and exclaiming with a laugh, "you should've seen some of the looks I was getting from people walking past!"

Felicity laughed a bit too. "You think that's bad? I broke my wardrobe!" The two laughed some more before stopping as the waitress brought over their drinks. They both stared at their steaming cups for a moment in contemplation.

"How do you think we get back?" Tommy finally asked quietly. Felicity looked up at him from her cup and prepared herself to break the bad news to him.

"I don't think we can." She told him, shaking her head sadly and looking back down at her drink.

"But this can't be the end!" Tommy was leaning towards her eagerly again. "What about Lucy? What about Peter?"

"I know! I know...but if we can't get back the same way, then how can we? We have no idea what to look for or what to do.."

"This can't be the end." Tommy repeated, staring down into his coffee and straining his brain for any hint of how to get back that they had been given in Narnia. "There must be another way...we just need to figure it out." Felicity remained silent and took a sip of her hot chocolate instead; unwilling to crush his optimism when she craved it so much herself. The silence between them lengthened as Felicity tried to gather the courage to say terrible words out loud.

"I lost the baby." She finally whispered shakily. The hot cup was burning her skin as she clasped her hands around her hot chocolate but she couldn't let go. A tear trickled down her cheek and she couldn't bring herself to look Tommy in the eye.

He unwound her burning fingers from the cup and held her hands tightly in his as she silently cried and finally looked at his face.

"I lost the baby. Mine and Peter's perfect child is gone." She leant her head forwards and hid her face between her arms, unaware of the waitress giving them curious glances.

"It's ok." Tommy finally whispered. "Maybe it's for the best." He suggested tentatively. "You don't want to raise Peter's child without him there as well..."

Felicity lifted her head and nodded, pulling her hands gently from his grasp and wiping her tears away brusquely. "You're right." She said with a watery smile. "There's no point in me having our child if he wouldn't have his father as well."

Tommy gave a half smile and Felicity took another sip of scalding hot chocolate; unable to take the pitying look in his eyes any longer.

"Come on." He finally said, throwing a £5 note onto the table. "Let's get out of here." He put his arm around Felicity's shoulder as they walked down the dark street. "So, I know about a party that's on tonight...fancy going? We could drink away our sorrows..."

"I would, but I'm not really dressed for a party; I felt a little uncomfortable in such revealing clothes.." She replied, thinking wistfully of the expensive Narnian dresses in soft materials.

"Well, we could always stop by your house so you could get changed, but if you don't want to then that's fine.." Tommy shrugged.

"If you don't mind.." She said hesitantly.

By way of reply Tommy put out a hand and stopped a taxi, holding the door open for her before climbing in himself.


	45. A Dangerous World

_I appreciate that no-one really likes these chapters because they're not about Peter and Felicity, but I need to show how Felicity and Tommy are coping in the real world... anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, please do so again! Enjoy!_

In the following two weeks Tommy neglected his band in order to spend time with Felicity. They first tried, unsuccessfully, to return to Narnia before giving up and introducing each other to their parents with lame excuses as to why they'd become such good friends within a couple of days.

After continuous nights full of nothing but partying and days filled with sleeping and hangovers, Felicity awoke on a Sunday morning with yet another hangover and a horrid taste in her mouth in one of Tommy's friend's houses. After blinking rapidly a few times she looked around the destroyed room.

The 42" TV lay smashed in a corner and feathers lay everywhere from the cushions that had been ripped apart. Something that Felicity hoped was melted chocolate (now dried) was smeared up a wall and the adjacent wall had a hole torn in it.

She was lying underneath Diana's duvet and on one of the sofa's whilst Tommy lay sleeping with her head-to-toe. The middle of the duvet had sick wallowing in it and on closer inspection of the room, much of it was covered in sick with the majority of the feathers sticking in it.

She realised after a moment that she was wearing nothing but her polka dot bra and matching knickers but it didn't matter because everyone that she could see (who were all still unconscious) were either in their underwear or naked. Having checked the arm of the sofa behind her was clear of sick she leant her head back before hearing the front door open.

"Diana? Cooey, we're home!" This hello from someone that Felicity could only assume was Diana's mother was quickly followed by a loud scream as she took in the wrecked hallway.

Everyone jolted awake at the shrill scream and as Felicity was the most awake she jumped up and screamed "RUN!" Before hauling Tommy off the sofa and dragging him over to the open French window. Everyone around them started to struggle up and attempted to escape the house through other doors and windows. Felicity pushed Tommy towards the open window and he did a strange vaulting thing before turning and waiting as she climbed onto the window ledge. Sitting half in and half out of the house she was helped down by an ever-gracious (and very sleepy) Tommy. Once he was sure she was steady on her feet he grabbed her arm and started running down the street with her. He was thankfully in his boxers but others behind them were not so lucky, Damien was running completely naked whilst Michelle was clutching the blanket she'd slept under around herself. Richard was strangely wearing a shirt (which he was desperately trying to undo whilst running) and no pants, Isabelle had no bra on and Dom was attempting to use a plant pot to cover himself.

The closest house was Felicity's, but it was a 10 minute walk away and they had to go through the high-street to get there.

Nevertheless 4 out of the 10 who'd escaped from the living room window all followed Felicity and Tommy up the high street amid cat-calls, wolf-whistles and staring strangers until they finally reached her house which was thankfully deserted. Felicity opened the front door with the spare key that was underneath one of the stone lions and everybody piled into her house before collapsing in her living room and laughing hysterically for a few minutes.

Felicity wrapped herself up in a blanket and sat cross-legged on the window seat as she opened a packet of Doritos, having distributed blankets and food to everyone.

"She'll be grounded for a few weeks but her mum's soft so she'll be partying again soon." Richard said, gulping down some coke.

"No. I remember being in her mum's room last night and someone smashed the window. And did you see the TV? It was new..." Jessica told them as she made herself comfortable on the sofa.

"Oh shit! Is that the time? Tommy we've got band practise at Chris' in half an hour!" Richard said as he stuffed Pringles in his mouth.

"I've got to get home as well...I've got a hospital appointment at 1. Can I borrow this blanket, Lissie?" Isabelle asked hopefully.

"Do you want some clothes? Come on upstairs and I'll find you all some clothes, although I do want them back!"

The 6 traipsed upstairs in their blankets to Felicity's room where she proceeded to try and equip them all with clothes that fit.

Isabelle went home in Felicity's largest dress and Jessica fit into her shorts and a normal tank top. The boys were more problematic as Richard was 6 ft 2 and Dom was well-built. Tommy relaxed back on Felicity's bed and watched the proceedings with amusement as Richard eventually settled for Felicity's longest tracksuit bottoms (which he rolled up to his knees because they were too short for him) and one of her oversized t-shirts that she wore to bed. Nothing she had fit Dom so in the end he had to settle for her dad's spare dressing gown made out of silk with Chinese dragons on it.

Tommy was able to wear some of his own clothes that Felicity had borrowed in a similar situation a few weeks ago.

"I'll bring it back on my way to work tonight." Dom muttered, cautiously looking around the deserted street as he left Felicity's house.

Tommy stood on the doorstep with Felicity for a moment. "You coming, Tommy?" Dom called out; the two lived in the same street.

"I don't want to be seen with you!" Tommy called back with a laugh to the cross Dom. "I'll see you soon." He said to Felicity, jogging after Dom.

Felicity waved before shutting the door and sleeping for hours, taking a long bath when she finally awoke in the late afternoon.

As she crossed the landing in her towel half an hour later she heard voices downstairs and paused to ensure they were the voices of her parents.

" – just think she's spending a lot of time with him!" She heard her mother say defensively.

"They're just good friends." The forever reasonable and calm voice of her father protested.

"Yes, they've become such good friends in 1 month! They go out together all the time, I never see her without him in tow and I haven't seen her with any of her other friends since she introduced him to us! And then there's the sleepovers...he's here every other night, and if not then she's at his! You know I don't approve of mixed sleepovers!" Felicity slid down and sat on the top step as she listened. She could hear chinking sounds and as her mother finished she heard the roar of the oven as someone opened its door and put some food in.

"Connie, its fine! She's a good girl; she won't do anything stupid! Anyway, I don't think there's any sex involved - " Felicity stood up and walked quickly to her room; fed up with her parents assessing her relationship with Tommy. She could never explain it to them. She could never explain that she and Tommy were so close because in reality they'd spent 8 years together in a land where everything was perfect and much more real than reality.

As she closed her door the doorbell rang and she realised it'd be Tommy; not perfect timing seeing as her mother had just been complaining about their relationship.

"Hi, Tommy, she's upstairs, just go on up." She heard her father say. Tommy mumbled a standard reply and she heard his feet thudding up the stairs quickly. "Do you want some lasagne too?"

"Er, yeah alright, if there's enough, thanks!" Tommy called down from outside Felicity's room, knocking like a true Narnian gentleman and waiting for her to call him in.

"You sleep today?" He asked abruptly, throwing himself down on her unmade bed and getting comfortable; she always took ages to get ready before they went out for the night.

"Mm." She nodded, towelling her hair dry.

She sensed he was building up to something, unsure how to say it. "Just say it." She commanded, watching him in her mirror.

"Waiting for you to get ready reminds me of Narnia."

Felicity almost froze at his words. After the initial few days where they'd talked about how to get back to Narnia the two hadn't really discussed it. She knew that it was a toxic area; once she started talking about it she wouldn't be able to stop.

"A lot of things remind me of Narnia." She finally said, continuing to towel her hair dry.

"Do you still miss it?"

"Of course." She said without a moment's hesitation. "Do you." After a while he nodded. "Do you remember the first day we meet?" She asked him, staring down at her dressing table. "You told me that you thought Narnia was a dream; and we had to die to get back to reality. Well now everything is backwards; England feels like a dream for me; and Narnia is the reality." A silence fell between the two as Tommy waited for her to continue and Felicity considered telling him all of her thoughts. She continued after a pause. "I was making a fruit salad the other day, and I...I really considered stabbing myself in the hope of ending up back in Narnia." She said quietly as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away and sniffed. "I have a good life here." She told him, finally looking up at him, "but everything seems so superficial. The food tastes of plastic. The world around us is grey. I can't listen to sad music when I'm by myself because I break down. Relationships can't compare to what we had with the Kings and Queens and the subjects of Narnia. I can't be with anyone else because of what I had with Peter." She said with a shaky, joyless laugh. "The only person who make me feel normal and at ease here is you." She finally finished as a silence settled between the two. Felicity finally broke it with a small laugh, "and I've technically only known you for a few weeks!"

Tommy looked at her for a moment before getting off her bed and giving her a hug. "I'm glad someone else feels the same way." He said quietly as she hugged him back, forcing herself not to cry.

"Dinner!" Her mum called up the stairs, making the two break apart almost guiltily.

"You go down. I need to put some clothes on." Felicity said, dabbing at her eyes with her hair towel.

Two hours later Tommy, Felicity, Richard, Dom, Isabelle and Dom's friend Phil all laughed at Richard as they walked through the park, taking a shortcut to a vague acquaintances house for a party.

The six slowed as they found their way blocked by five boys, all wearing hoodies and scarves wound around the lower half of their faces. The light here was scarce; provided only by surrounding streetlamps at the edge of the grassy park.

Tommy instinctively moved closer to Felicity, putting his hand on her arm to keep her in place.

Suddenly fearful the six turned, intending to go back the way they'd come when they were confronted by another five boys who'd crept up behind them.

Tommy cursed their stupidity; he'd thought six was a large enough number for them to walk through the park unchallenged. He'd clearly been wrong.

The group stood in silence as they waited for the boys to make the first move.

Tommy was busy calculating; handing over all their cash and phones wouldn't be enough; stabbings were all too frequent in the modern day, and, though he knew Felicity could fight a little when really forced to, she wasn't strong enough to hold off an opponent physically and she'd lost her magic on her return to England. Isabelle would be no use at all in a fight and Phil was too skinny to be much good. That left only him, Richard and Dom to take on 10 other boys.

Casting an assessing eye around he decided the best escape route was to run right and jump over the fence. He'd have to help Felicity over first; but that should only take a few seconds. Provided they had a head start on these boys they should escape unscathed.

"Give us your money." One of them rasped, his voice muffled by his scarf around his mouth.

The group of five slowly advanced, three of them producing glinting knives from around their bodies.

"Give us your money." The boy repeated, holding his knife out at Richard's face.

"I haven't got any." Richard replied, holding up his hands in submission.

"Yeah you fucking have!" The boy suddenly shouted, waving his knife ever closer to Richard's nose. "Give me your fucking money."

Felicity held her breath in horror. Richard was telling the truth; he never had any money.

"I haven't got any." Richard repeated, raising his voice.

Suddenly the boy kicked Richard in the stomach and Isabelle screamed as violence started to spread throughout the group.

"Oi. This one's fit." A boy in front of Felicity suddenly said, grabbing her harshly. She'd been so preoccupied watching the horrid scene unfold with Richard that she hadn't noticed that she was being approached by one of the boy's lackeys.

Tommy tried to haul her back; punching the boy in the face until he realised her and Tommy was able to pull her back to him.

He dragged her along, running right as fast as they possibly could as Tommy had planned with a couple of the boys following them a few feet behind.

The two forced their legs to run just a tiny bit faster as the footsteps of the two behind them pounded on the grass. They reached the fence with gasping breath and Tommy cupped his hands on a level with Felicity's knees. She immediately put her foot in his linked hands, allowing him to push her up and over the fence. One of the two boys was upon him now and Tommy dodged left as the boy's momentum carried him straight into the fence with a clang.

Tommy put his hands on the boys hoodie-covered head and shoved his face further into the metal fence.

Felicity's jumped up on the other side of the fence and with great effort hauled herself up until she was straddling the fence that was normally above her head. Her dress was the kind that had pockets that had been made purely for fashion; not function, but she'd managed to find a few medium-sized stones on the floor and her pockets held a few. She now lobbed one at the approaching attacker, halting him momentarily as he fell to the ground in surprise at the hit.

Tommy released his own opponent from his cinch between himself and the fence and threw the boy to the ground where he kicked him in the stomach before he could get up.

Felicity hit the other attacker with a considerably larger stone, watching with horror as Tommy hit and kicked the boy over and over, unable to control himself until Felicity cried his name loudly. Taking a running jump at the fence he hauled himself over as Felicity swung her leg back over and jumped down beside him and the two sprinted away, not stopping until they were several streets away.

Felicity took her iPhone out of her bra and dialled 999, asking for an ambulance and the police and directing them to the park.

"We need to get somewhere safe." Tommy whispered, still struggling for breath. "Yours or mine?" He asked, realising that the only place they'd feel safe was in either of their own houses.

"Mine's closer."

"The further away, the safer." He replied. "If we can get to the main road we can get a taxi."

"I'm scared." She whispered, afraid that during the 10 minute walk to the high street they'd encounter some of the boys from before.

Tommy took out his phone and began searching through his contacts. "I've got a taxi firm number. We can call them here."

Felicity let out a breath of relief and the two retreated into a dark, almost hidden niche between two garages.

"They said five minutes." Tommy whispered, putting his phone back in his pocket.

Felicity nodded and the two stood in silence; too afraid to talk in case they should be overheard. After an eternity of holding their breath as strangers walked past, the two heard a car engine rumbling, stationary on the road. Tommy edged into the street lamp light and peeked around the corner cautiously, stepping into the light and motioning for Felicity to join him when he discovered it was their taxi.

The two ran into the taxi and both shrunk down in their seats slightly as the driver took them back down the road. They sunk down further, though kept their faces high up enough for them to see through the park's fence as they drove past. Seeing nothing in the dim light they were relieved but then anxious as to where everyone had gone.

Felicity desperately wanted to ask Tommy if he thought everyone else was ok, but was unable to with the taxi driver listening.

Tommy paid the cab driver and the two went into his house, explaining to his parents that the party had been boring and that they were going upstairs to watch a film and then going to bed.

Tommy took out his phone in his room and began ringing round all his friends, trying to get hold of the one's who'd been attacked with them and then ringing other friends when no-one answered.

"Nothing." He said to Felicity, sitting down against the pillows on his bed beside her.

"We should've stayed and helped them." She said regretfully, able to reflect on their cowardly actions now that her instinct to survive had gone.

"No." Tommy said after a pause. "We did the right thing; if we'd have stayed, we could've been hurt, or made into more stabbing victims; at least this way we'll be able to identify a few of those boys and get them off the streets."

Felicity nodded, letting Tommy think he'd reassured her, though in reality she knew they should've stayed. If it'd been Peter and his friends who'd been confronted, he'd have fought alongside them. Tommy looked at her and read her mind. "If it'd been Peter with you instead of me, he'd have done exactly the same. He'd have put you before anyone else."

Felicity stood up after a moment's thought as she realised he was right. "I'm going to take a sleeping pill or I won't sleep tonight. Do you want one?"

Tommy nodded and took out a pair of pyjamas for himself and the pair that Felicity had claimed.

When she returned he took the tablet and the two brushed their teeth and got ready for bed before settling down and watching the film Love Actually. Tommy didn't particularly like it but he knew Felicity loved it, and he'd chosen it especially for it had no fighting in it.

Within half an hour the two were deeply asleep and Tommy's mum came in to turn off the film as she and his dad went to sleep.

But Felicity was only deeply asleep in one world; for she was sure she heard a lion roar in the distance as she drifted into unconsciousness, ending up in Narnia. She smiled and ran quickly through the trees happily, but within seconds she was no longer in Narnia but in a small kitchen. It was completely dark around her but she could still see clearly and she instinctively went through the open door and up the worn stairs. She stopped at the door at the top of the stairs and opened it with a slight creak in a strangely calm and serene mood. Just as with the kitchen she could see a bunk bed through the darkness. She knew who was sleeping in this room and she knew which bunk he was in.

A blonde head lifted up from the pillow and squinted at her in annoyance.

"Peter." She cried happily in a stage whisper. At the sound of her voice he stumbled out of bed with the sheets still tangled around him. He lunged for her but his hands went straight through her. He tried to grab her again frantically but once again grasped at nothing. "Peter." She whispered as tears rolled down her cheeks and she tried to touch him but found that she too felt nothing but air.

"Felicity." He cried as she was roughly pulled back by an unseen force. "Felicity!" He yelled again in desperation as she was pulled down the stairs. He kicked the sheets out of the way and ran down the stairs after her but he was too slow; within seconds she'd melted into the darkness of the night.

Felicity jolted awake in Tommy's bed; her breathing heavy and irregular. It took a few seconds for her to realise Tommy was in exactly the same situation and she realised that he'd had a Narnia dream as well.

"What happened in yours?" She asked him after a pause.

He gave a sigh of relief and ran his hands through his hair. "I saw Aslan, only he looked like the boy I attacked. He hit me so hard I collapsed from the pain, and then he said that's what I'd inflicted on the boy. He was so stern with me, but then he said the only reason I would not be left with lasting scars like the boy was because I'd done it for an honourable reason."

Suddenly Felicity did not want to tell him about her dream with Peter, all she could do was feel grateful that she hadn't experienced Tommy's dream, and that Tommy had saved her for she didn't like to imagine what could've happened if he hadn't.

There was a long silence between the two, broken only by their breath as it became regular again.

"What happened in yours?" Tommy finally asked.

"The same thing." She replied after a long pause before turning on her side and trying to fall asleep again as she realised she had actually told Tommy the truth. Letting her see Peter was the most painful thing Aslan could have inflicted upon her.


	46. A Surprising Interviewer

_Ok everyone here's the next chapter, and this one has some Peter in it! Yaaaay! So, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, this one is just about the longest chapter I've ever written I think so please review and be proud of me! Enjoy!_

"The police are here." Felicity yelled in panic as she charged down the stairs. She'd changed out of Tommy's pyjamas and into the dress she'd worn last night in preparation for her bus ride home.

He shut the fridge quickly and ran to the living room window to confirm what she'd said.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, looking at her in horror. "Ok, if they ask, yes, we're boyfriend and girlfriend and that's why we protected each other. Tell them you might be able to identify a few of the boys and hopefully they'll leave us alone!" He told her quickly as the police walked up his path.

The doorbell rang and the two nodded at each other to show they were ready before Felicity jumped onto the sofa in front of the turned-on television and pretended she didn't know they were here.

Tommy opened the door and she heard one of them say "Police. Are you Tommy Bastow?"

"Um, yes, I am. Is this about last night?"

"It is, Sir, could we come in, please?"

"Felicity, it's the police." Tommy called out as he led them through the hall and into the living room.

Felicity got up off the sofa and stood awkwardly, summoning all her skills as an actress to mask her fear. She and Tommy had technically done nothing wrong, but she was still scared.

"Miss Valerio. We've just been to your house looking for you." The female officer said in surprise. "I'm PC Jones and this is PC Tate. We're here about an incident we received a call to last night."

Felicity nodded and Tommy invited the officers to sit down.

"No, thank you, we'd like you to please come down to the station for questioning."

Tommy's eyes snapped to the male officer who'd name he'd forgotten as soon as he'd been told it. "Surely we're not being arrested?" He asked, disguising his worry as incredulousness.

"Not at all, it's just for questioning so that we can eliminate you from our enquiries."

After a long pause Felicity broke the awkward silence by walking into the hallway and slipping her heels on. She slid into the car first, then PC Jones sat in the middle with Tommy on the other side of her and PC Tate driving the car. There was complete silence in the car during the ten minute journey and Felicity's mind was left to race as she wondered what'd happened once they'd left. It must've been serious for the police to need to take them to the station to eliminate them from their enquiries.

She knew the doors had child-locks on them, and when they drove into the station PC Tate got out and opened Tommy's door before quickly walking around the car and opening Felicity's, helping her out with a smile. She gave him a quick smile in return and looked for Tommy quickly, unwilling to encourage the man.

He walked around the car to her and grasped her hand tightly, trying to reassure her as they were directed up a ramp, through several cages and doors until they reached the inside building.

They were led past the area with the cells and through the bottom layer of the station to the canteen where they were each given a free cup of horrid tea and had to sit in silence some more with the two officers still sitting with them.

"Felicity, as you're under 18 you must have an adult present. Do you want us to ring your parents?" PC Jones asked.

Felicity shook her head violently. "Can I have Tommy?" PC Jones smiled and shook her head. "Then I'll just have the on duty solicitor please."

PC Jones walked off and left Tommy and Felicity with PC Tate sitting beside them.

"Why don't you want your parents?" Tommy asked quietly in confusion.

"They'd be so disappointed in me if they learnt I was being questioned by the police."

"But we didn't do anything wrong; we're only here so they can eliminate us from their enquiries."

"Yes, but the fact that we even need to be eliminated is enough to make my parents worry and stop me from going out." Felicity replied, trying to tell Tommy with her eyes that they'd see him as the bad influence and stop them spending time with each other. Tommy seemed to understand and the two reverted back to silence in the presence of PC Tate.

After half an hour of silence a young man informally dressed walked in.

"Ah, is this who I think it is?" He asked with a strong cockney accent, doing a double take as he noticed Tommy and Felicity.

Felicity did her own double take when she saw him; with his long blonde hair, chiselled jaw and muscular stature he bore an uncanny resemblance to Peter.

"Yes, sir, Tommy Bastow and Felicity Valerio." PC Tate said.

"Detective Pritchard." He said, shaking Tommy's hand. After a slight pause Felicity too shook his hand, staring up into his face with a slightly opened mouth, her shock written all over her face. He stared back at her for a moment, his face questioning and appreciative of her looks at the same time, before continuing, seemingly shaking off his distraction. "Right. Well me and DI Manson are both free now so we're ready to interview Miss Valerio. Mr Bastow, I'm afraid your interviewers are both still busy, but you won't have to wait much longer. Would you like to follow me, please, Miss Valerio?"

Felicity stood quickly, horrified and glad that he would be interviewing her. She looked back at Tommy one last time before she walked through the doors, able to tell from his face that he had noticed the similarity too.

"%£^&*$

Peter followed Susan further into the tomb, Caspian walking close behind him.

Torches lit the dark corridor at intervals and Susan stopped in one of the brightest places, lit by two torches on the walls and one that Peter had grabbed on the way.

She stopped and looked around her and Peter did the same, his breath stopping in his throat at what he saw.

He ran his torch close to the walls as he spun around, scanning the many images as quickly as he could without missing anything.

"It's us." Susan said obviously, looking to him to say something but he had not even heard her.

"What is this place?" Lucy asked suddenly as Peter reached out his free hand and gently stroked the painting of Felicity. Even though it was only done very roughly, perhaps by an amateur, the artist seemed to have taken particular care over her depiction. Of them all, the representation of her was the most accurate, showing her slim body, big eyes and long hair and a column of twisted water beside her.

A longing to be with her washed through his entire body, almost crippling him with its strength.

Beside him, Lucy was struggling to hide her own reaction; staring at the painting of Tommy that barely resembled him yet still had the effect of bringing her to the verge of tears.

"You don't know?" Caspian asked, watching Peter's reaction closely.

Peter started slightly at his voice and took a deep breath; he would not let this strange man see how the memory of Felicity made him vulnerable, how it turned him into the helpless teenager he was in England instead of the King he was in Narnia.

They all followed Caspian like a flock of sheep, and when the flames lit up the carvings and tableau's Peter blinked rapidly and looked away sharply, focusing on the depiction of Aslan as he saw some of him and Felicity. He knew that against his better judgement, he'd return later and stare at them, wishing for the past.

%"$£*&

The steel door opened and Detective Pritchard walked in with two men in suits. Before they could shut the door she saw Tommy being led past by a woman. Within half a second he was gone and the door shut, trapping her inside yet again.

"Detective Inspector Manson, and this is the duty solicitor, Mr Jones." DI Manson said, shaking hands with Felicity and then indicating the other man in a suit who sat down beside her.

She shook his hand and half-wondered briefly if he was related or married to PC Jones, but she was too preoccupied with herself to care particularly.

Detective Pritchard pressed a button on the tape recorder and turned to face Felicity across the table. She stared back at him with wide eyes, searching his face for differences to Peter, chanting in her head that he was not the Peter she wanted.

"Detective Pritchard and DI Manson questioning suspect 3A9D2B, Felicity Valerio, with the requested duty solicitor, Mr M. Jones as her present adult." He said, addressing the tape but staring right back at her.

"Suspect?" Felicity asked incredulously after a slight pause as the words registered in her mind. She'd just noticed that the detective had a slightly wonky nose as though it'd been broken before and this had cleared her mind briefly; he was definitely not Peter. "Suspect for what?"

"You are a suspect in the investigation into the murders of Phil Bailey and Keane Wilson." DI Manson said in an emotionless, efficient voice.

Felicity turned to look at him and remained silent as she realised Dom's friend Phil must've been killed, as must one of the boys who attacked them.

"You seem surprised, Miss Valerio. Did you not know that they were dead?" He asked again, narrowing his eyes at her. She shook her head and swallowed loudly, her eyes downcast as possibilities of what might have been ran through her mind.

"You see, I think you're lying. I don't think you stabbed either of them yourself because you're a weak individual," Felicity resisted the urge to laugh in his face, wishing more than ever before that she was back in Narnia and still able to control an element. This arrogant man would not think her such a weak individual then, "but I think that you know who did kill them, or at least one of them, and protecting a criminal is a crime in itself." He finished with a flourish, regarding her beadily across the table.

"You shouldn't make such drastic judgements when you haven't even asked me to confirm my whereabouts." Felicity replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I will make whatever judgements I want because I am not the one involved in a double murder!" DI Manson said loudly, leaning across the table at her.

"I don't have to prove my innocence to you; you have to prove my guilt!" She responded, her voice quietly dangerous.

DI Manson opened his mouth to retort furiously but the much more laid-back Pritchard interrupted.

"Could you please tell us what happened last night."

Felicity looked at him almost gratefully; glad there was at least one rational person questioning her and was distracted again by his similarity to Peter. The urge to simply throw her arms around his neck and never let go was overwhelming and she could feel her turbulent emotions making her chest tight.

"We were all going to a party on the other side of town-" She finally managed to say quietly, looking away from his face and down at the table, trying to get a grip of her thoughts.

"Who's party?" DI Manson interrupted.

Felicity thought for a very long moment as she struggled to remember the person's name. "Jamie, I think. Yes, Jamie Dracob's."

"You seem to have had trouble remembering his name. Do you normally go to party's where you don't know the host?" Felicity looked at him oddly, taking an extreme dislike to the aggressive man.

"He's Tommy's friend. Not mine."

"I see, and what's your relationship with Tommy, are you girlfriend and boyfriend?"

After a slight pause Felicity nodded, remembering Tommy's advice but feeling that she was almost betraying Peter, especially with his look-alike in the room.

"Are you sure about that? We have others on tape saying that you only met a few weeks ago, and yet you show no signs of the lovey-dovey behaviour that characterises a new relationship."

"Being surrounded by police isn't exactly my idea of romance." She replied frostily, But DI Manson ignored her and pretended she hadn't even spoken.

"So, what exactly are you? Friends with benefits perhaps?"

"How dare you?" Felicity demanded as she jumped up, insulted at his flippancy.

The two officers stood up as well; ready to restrain her should she attack one of them. "I want another police officer." She said, folding her arms across her chest and standing by the far wall.

"Please, sit down, Miss Valerio." Detective Pritchard almost begged her.

One look at her face and she wanted to do as he said, but she restrained herself. He was not Peter.

"No!" She replied defiantly. "My treatment so far has been disgraceful. If I am a suspect then I should have been arrested and informed of why I am a suspect and furthermore, if I were the 'weaker individual' you accused me of being, your aggressive behaviour would be intimidating me. As a 17 year old girl still in full time education I still count as a child and you have no right to treat me this way!"

"You seem to know a lot, Miss Valerio. Studied the law in detail?" DI Manson taunted.

"I know my rights." She retorted angrily. "Now please, I demand a different officer to DI Manson."

"Get your own way a lot do you?" Felicity bit back her ire at his ever-arrogant and ever-demeaning manner. Detective Pritchard cast him a look of annoyance as he sensed that Felicity was a vastly different girl to the type they normally questioned.

"Every time." She replied confidently, surprising the arrogant officer. "And one more thing; I wish to change my present adult from Mr Jones to my uncle." She ordered him, addressing DI Manson especially she relished the look on his face.

"He's your superintendant."

"$£&*^%

"You're all acting like there's only two options; dying here, or dying there."

"I'm not sure you've really been listening, Lu." Peter said dismissively, firmly believing that his plan of attack was the best.

"No, you're not listening." Lucy said emphatically. "Or have you forgotten who really defeated the White Witch, Peter?"

Peter smarted at her words. "I think we've waited for Aslan long enough." He said before turning and beginning to walk from the room.

"It's not just Aslan!" Lucy called after him. She knew that if Felicity was with them he wouldn't have proposed the attacking plan, not just because of her magic but because he'd have more faith in Aslan as he would've been reunited with Felicity at Aslan's wish.

"Well who else is there to help us?" Peter demanded aggressively, turning back and taking a few stalking steps towards her. He knew who she was referring to; they all knew, but none dared to say Felicity's name when Peter was in such a state. The silence lengthened and Peter began to walk from the room again, his blood pounding in his veins.

"What about who really defeated the Gardanian's and Calormene?" Lucy demanded, willing him to say Felicity's name. If he said it, the topic would be in the open and she'd finally be able to say Tommy's name too.

"Blow the horn again." All eyes flicked to Edmund who was the quietest and most reserved of the siblings; because of this he was also one of the most respected; everyone knew that when he spoke, he should be listened to for he spoke wisely.

"What?" Peter asked from the doorway, halted once again.

"Blow it again. It's not just Aslan who's magical."

"She's not coming back!" Peter yelled suddenly. "If she was, she'd already be here with us and the war would be over!" He turned once again and walked out quickly, his body tense with anger, though at who or what he did not know. This time, no-one spoke as his figure gradually disappeared in the gloom.

"$£^&*%

Tommy was much luckier; his officers were both relatively nice and allowed him to at least speak and explain what'd happened.

"Why didn't you stay and help your friends? That would have been the honourable thing to do."

"Yes, and I may have died alongside Phil." Tommy responded quietly.

"So why not grab a few more friends and help them escape with you and Felicity?" Detective Keli asked, watching his every movement carefully for signs of him lying; so far she had seen none.

"Because I was thinking only of Felicity." He responded after a pause.

"Why is that?"

"Because she's my girlfriend." He responded quickly. The two female Detectives stared at him and he stared back, unwilling to expand unless he was forced to for fear his story wouldn't correspond with Felicity's.

"She's a very pretty girl." Detective Keli said slowly; the two had seen a picture of her that was blue-tacked alongside all the other suspects on the whiteboard in their office.

"She's more than pretty." Tommy responded immediately, thinking back to the times in Narnia when she had been hailed the most beautiful woman in the world. If only these women knew that wars had been started because of Felicity's face; they would not think her just 'pretty' then.

"How long have you been going out?"

"A few weeks." Tommy replied after another pause, choosing his words carefully and being unspecific.

"Really? Because your friends say you've only known her for a few weeks, not that you've been going out in the time... You must really love her if you'd rather save the life of someone who's almost a stranger over the lives of your friends."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise I'd have to answer questions on my degree of love for Felicity; what does this have to do with anything? I have given you my account of last night, now surely all you have to do is check a few CCTV cameras and call the cab driver and both mine and Felicity's innocence is proven?" The two women stared at him a moment longer as they tried to think of a reply that would allow them to continue.

"Interview terminated at 12:47." Detective Keli said, turning off the tape.

&*"$£%^

After such an awful battle Peter should have been turned to the carving of Aslan, willing him to return and help them, but he was instead facing the carving of himself and Felicity. It was by no means a work of art, but just a rough depiction of her tore through his heart more than he could've ever imagined. The stone showed them standing side by side, hand in hand; comrades in battle he had his sword drawn and her free hand was raised with a tendril of snake-like water raised beside her.

A funny feeling ran through his nose as it always did when he was over-emotional, and the next second a single tear dripped down his cheek.

Edmund quietly came and sat beside him, tactfully pretending he hadn't seen the tear as Peter wiped it away, pretending to scratch his face instead. The two had had their differences in the past when it concerned Felicity; but Edmund had gone on to marry someone else and Peter desperately needed someone to talk to.

"I can't do it." He finally said, ashamed of himself for his weakness when he had been confronted with the temptation of the White Witch's help earlier. If Felicity had been by his side, he would have been strong enough to destroy her before she'd even had the chance to say hello to him. "I thought I could, but I can't." He struggled to express his turmoil in a coherent way and Edmund remained silent, trying to think of an answer that give Peter hope and belief again, but still be truthful.

"You'll see her one day." He said simply before silence fell between the two.

"$£&*%^

"Uncle Paul!" Felicity said happily, jumping up and hugging her uncle as he hurried into the room in his uniform.

"Felicity, are you ok?" She nodded and the two sat back down. Having lost his own daughter in a car crash three years ago, her uncle was very fond of her.

"Now, what's the problem? I didn't know you were a suspect in this case!"

"I'm not! Not in my mind anyway! But firstly, I find this man's aggressive attitude very threatening and it's making me uneasy; which isn't allowed because I'm under 18, right?"

"No, indeed." He said, turning to look at the man in question with a heavy frown. "Manson. Get out. Detective Pritchard can do this interview by himself." Felicity resisted the urge to smile and looked at Manson expectantly.

"Yes, Guv." He said after a pause, typing in the code and leaving the interview room.

"For the benefit of the tape, Superintendent Drape has replaced Mr Jones as Miss Valerio's present adult and DI Manson has left the interview room. "So, Felicity, Tommy is your boyfriend?" Felicity nodded and her uncle reminded himself that whatever was said in the interview he couldn't discuss with her parents; it was for Felicity to tell them.

"We have five boys in hospital, one saying that a pretty young girl pelted him with rocks in an unprovoked attack, could you please give me your version of events?"

Finally able to speak uninterrupted except for a few questions on detail, Felicity recounted the night with ease, ignoring her Uncle's noises of disapproval and horror at what had almost happened to her.

Tommy jumped up when he saw Felicity walk in to the cafeteria half an hour later, making his minder jump up in concern that he was doing a runner.

"You ok?" He asked Felicity, giving her a quick hug. She nodded and gave a half smile.

"Tommy, this is Uncle Paul." Tommy shook her uncle's hand, remembering Felicity once telling him her uncle was the superintendant of the local police force.

"You can both go now. I will arrange for an officer to give you a lift home and here's some money to buy some lunch in the meantime. I'm afraid I have to get back to work, but I'll be round in a few days." He said to Felicity, handing her a £5 and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"But, I was told to stay for-" Tommy started to say.

"No, I will have you both cleared, ok? Your lift will be here in about 15 minutes." With one last smile at Felicity he left, Tommy's minder following him out of the swinging doors.

Felicity shrugged her shoulders and the two ordered a bacon roll and hot chocolate each before sitting down and discussing their interviews.


	47. Stop It

_So who got good exam results over the last couple of weeks? Thanks for all your reviews for the previous chapter, now this is definitely the longest chapter I've ever written! And there's some Peter in it! So, I want lots and lots of reviews, make me happy people! Enjoy!_

"I'll just go to Tesco's and get us some junk food." Tommy said, handing Felicity his house keys and her shopping bags that he'd been carrying for her. "You go in and put the pizza in and find a good film." Felicity nodded and walked up his path whilst Tommy carried on down the road to the Tesco Express that was only minutes away.

It was the day after their police interviews and the two had gone shopping in the hope of some 'retail therapy', but as soon as Tommy disappeared out of sight Detective Pritchard got out of his car on the opposite side of the road and knocked loudly on the front door.

Felicity opened it without looking out, assuming it was Tommy who needed some extra cash. "Could you get some vodka as well?" She called over her shoulder as she went back through the house to the freezer where she was taking out a frozen pizza.

Detective Pritchard shut the door behind him and walked through quietly.

"You know, you're not allowed to drink at 17." He said, stopping in the arch between the living room and kitchen.

Felicity whirled around with a gasp of fear before relaxing slightly. "Oh, it's you. You scared me!" She declared, quickly looking away, knowing that if she continued to look at him she'd start spilling her heart out as though he were actually Peter. "I'm afraid Tommy's just gone out, but he'll be back in a minute." She said in a friendly way, but she'd deliberately added that Tommy would be back soon; she was too used to bad men now and felt the need to inform Detective Pritchard that they would not be alone for long.

"Actually it's you I came to see. Do you think you'd be able to identify a few of the boys who attacked you?" He asked, stepping to one side within the kitchen doorway and watching her across the floor.

"I think so." She said with a nod, turning on the oven to warm up. "Though I'd have to actually see them; a mug shot on a computer screen wouldn't be enough; I'd need to see their stature and hear them speak as well."

"That can be arranged. What about Tommy, could he identify a few as well?"

Felicity nodded and began grating extra cheese onto the pizza, keeping her gaze away from him.

"You're not really girlfriend and boyfriend are you?" Pritchard said suddenly after a short silence. "Off the record.." He added quickly as Felicity looked at him sharply.

She looked away again, finding his similarity to Peter actually physically painful. With his interest in her love life she could almost imagine that he was a reincarnated version of Peter; that any second now he'd declare his love for her and they're live happily ever after in England, rather than Narnia.

"No, we're not." She found herself saying whilst her brain was imagining all sorts of scenarios. "How can you tell?"

"I just watched you outside the house. There's nothing sexual about your relationship; so what is it that ties you together?"

Felicity forced her mind back to reality and gave a crooked smile. The man was observant, if a little presumptuous. She checked the heat and put the pizza in the oven quickly. "You're very intuitive." She complimented him, washing her hands at the sink underneath the window. "Tommy and I have a friendship that no-one but we understand; which is fine because it concerns no-one but us."

"Fair enough." Pritchard replied. "But I am interested as to why you're involved in this lifestyle."

"What lifestyle?" She asked, her brow crinkling in confusion. Letting her guard down she looked over her shoulder at him before immediately turning back, her breath catching in her throat at the mere sight of him. She could almost feel her heart breaking again.

"The one you live now. Your uncle has always spoken highly of you; I can tell he's very proud. He's told me all about your school grades and everything; I thought that your downside would be that you were a complete social reject, but you're not. Then I thought you'd be one of those typical rich girls who parties and sleeps around, but you're not that either."

Felicity began pouring out a glass of coke for Tommy and water for herself; she didn't know how she was supposed to respond to Pritchard's declarations of how different she was to all other girls. The detective clearly hadn't come to discuss the case with her, he'd come to pry; to try and talk her out of the new life she'd unwittingly adopted. "You're wearing a conservative dress," he continued, simply listing the things that made her different - special in his eyes. "Your hair is completely natural, you've got hardly any make-up on and friends say you don't sleep around. And then the way you handled DI Manson; I've never seen anyone fight him back like that; not fully grown men who've murdered people, no lawyers or solicitors...you're obviously very confident as well. So why do you go to parties at people's houses you don't even know every night? You could do so much better and make something of yourself!" He finished his long speech and Felicity didn't even look at him as she put the coke back in the fridge.

"My lifestyle is my choice. You can't tell me you didn't do the same when you were my age." She replied after a long pause, her voice so quiet it was almost a whisper. It was undeniable that Pritchard was handsome; a young man with his face would have been partying long into the night every weekend.

"I won't deny it. But I wish I hadn't; it took me twice as long just to get to where I am now because I wasted all of my time partying instead of planning my future." He replied, beginning to move a little closer to her when she turned her back to him, choosing to look out of the window distractedly instead.

"I can have a good social life and still maintain my school grades at the same time." She finally responded, simply knowing rather than hearing him edging closer.

"A good social life? You think getting so drunk you puke and can barely move the next morning is a good life?" He asked incredulously, coming to a halt with his body turned into her left side, his chest mere millimetres from her shoulder.

"Yes." She said quickly, trying to figure out how she could move away without making it obvious that she was escaping..

"You think popping pills is a good life?" He pushed further.

"No!" She finally whirled on him, the cause of their frustration bubbling to the surface for a single moment. "I know exactly what a good life is and so does Tommy, which is why we revert to pills and alcohol to take away the pain of knowing that the good life we had is behind us." She clasped a hand over her mouth as she realised what she'd just said.

There was a silence between the two as Pritchard tried to figure out what exactly was eating up Tommy and Felicity; he'd seen the looks they shared, the way they sometimes spoke like they were characters from a Jane Austen novel.

The door opened and closed and Tommy walked in with a plastic bag full of junk food.

"Oh, hello." He said as he spied Pritchard, stopping in the kitchen doorway in surprise.

Felicity recovered quickly, using her skills as a queen to gloss over an awkward situation. "Detective Pritchard was just leaving. He just came by to ask if we could both identify a few suspects." She said smoothly, moving a few steps away from him quickly, uncaring now of how obvious she was being.

"Yeah, of course we could. Just let us know when and we'll be there." Tommy replied helpfully, his gaze darting between the two as he sensed her unease. He chucked his keys onto the kitchen worktop and stood between the two under the pretence of checking the pizza in the oven. "Have you caught any of them yet?" He asked, standing directly in front of Pritchard and blocking his view of Felicity completely.

"Right, well you've both been very helpful and I'll give you a call when we're ready for you. It should only be a couple of days; I'll show myself out." The detective nodded his head at them both and left quickly.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Tommy instantly demanded.

"Nothing." She said with a little reassuring smile at him. "He just got a bit close and I didn't know what to do, because he looks like Peter…"

Tommy engulfed her in a hug and she clung to him momentarily. "I don't want to go out tonight." Her muffled voice said from his chest.

"What? Why not?" He asked worriedly, unwrapping her arms from her and looking into her face, searching it for signs of whatever was wrong. So far the two had not missed a single night of partying.

"I just don't want to. I don't think Peter, or Lucy, or Aslan would be particularly proud of us if they knew how we've been behaving..."

"But they're not here." He replied, frowning at her new attitude.

"That's not the point Tommy. What do you think Lucy would say if she found out you'd been doing drugs?" Felicity pressed gently.

Tommy moved away, picking up his coke and taking a sip. "The entire reason I do drugs is to make the pain of losing her less." He said a little too darkly for Felicity's liking.

"And that was my reason too, but I've realised that all we're doing is forgetting for a few hours each day and fucking up our lives in the process." She argued gently, almost ashamed to admit that it had been Pritchard who had made her realise this.

"How are we fucking up our lives? It's not like we're addicted." Tommy shot back.

"So what? You don't need to be an addict for drugs to mess up your life! Isn't Saturday night the perfect example? Two people are dead as a result of drink and drugs - "

"No, they're dead as a result of knife crime and criminals!" Tommy protested, as shocked as Felicity that they were actually arguing for the first time ever.

"Yes, but we were all on our way to a party to do drink and drugs.." Felicity insisted. She knew she was right. They had to stop this now before it got out of control.

Tommy was silent; he too knew that she was right but he didn't want to give up the few hours each day when he forgot the pain in his heart.

"I'm not doing drugs ever again." Felicity finally broke the silence. "I'll drink socially, but not to get wankered like we normally do. And I suggest you do the same."

There was a long silence as Tommy tried to come up with another argument, but eventually he gave in at the sight of Felicity's silently begging eyes.

&"$£%*(

Three months later Felicity's head drooped onto Tommy's shoulder as she dozed. It was November now and the two were on their way to London; Felicity had a modelling audition for Chanel and as usual, Tommy had offered to go with her. She'd been noticed by a photographer at her A level results day and this was her first proper audition, but she looked awful from lack of sleep due to her nerves. Within a second the rocking of the train had become the rocking of waves and as Felicity looked up she realised she was on a small raft on the sea, still in her blue and white floral dress that she'd been wearing in England. Aslan sat serenely in front of her and she instantly threw her head back down in a bow to him.

"Look at me, daughter of Eve." He rumbled, unfazed by the motion of the raft.

Felicity instantly looked up and smiled at him. "It's good to see you again Aslan." He let out a rumble and bent his nose to her forehead.

"I am glad that you are happy now." He said. Felicity nodded to show she was happier and he smiled at her. "I have a gift for you, child." Felicity felt something cold and hard in her palm and she lifted it off the raft to inspect her present. It was the Narnia crest necklace that Peter had given her years ago when she had been married to Riordan and that she had lost upon her return to England. "It is yours to keep in all worlds now." Aslan told her after she'd had a moment to inspect it. "You have shown you are worthy by turning away from the world you become embroiled in. Now, I have many jobs for you, little one." Felicity placed the long chain and pendant over her head as she listened, "the Pevensie children have returned to Narnia in her hour of need. Your first of three missions is to visit Prince Caspian and reassure him that he fights for a just cause."

"Forgive me, Aslan, but why do you not appear to him yourself?" She asked quietly.

"Because he is not yet ready. His mind is only just beginning to open and my appearance will be too shocking to him."

Felicity nodded, and Aslan suddenly shook his mane and Felicity was bombarded with knowledge of what had taken place in Narnia in her absence. But the overload of information and experiences was not too much for her; her brain processed it all easily and within seconds she had appeared in a dim room in The How.

The young man she knew to be Caspian from her quick learning session stood with his back to her, but he automatically felt someone watching him and turned, drawing his sword and holding it out to her in a fighting stance.

But Felicity merely smiled gently; her time with Aslan had made her feel calm beyond measure and she knew easily what to do and say.

"Do not fear me, Telmarine Prince." She told him gently, walking around his bed that lay between them and taking the sword from his hand.

He simply stared at her, wondering at her odd clothes, beauty and how she had managed to appear.

"You are as beautiful as they say." He told her after a long silence, eliciting another smile from Felicity.

"Do you know who I am?"

"You are High Queen Felicity." She confirmed his statement with a nod and carefully placed the sword on the small table in the corner.

"Peter misses you very much." Her eyes grew sad as he said this and Caspian regretted saying it for now she was a sad beauty, something that no-one likes to see.

"You cannot tell him you have seen me." She whispered sadly. There was a long pause as Caspian watched her and she gathered herself, finally turning to him after a few deep breaths. "In this world I am a part of the magic of Narnia; ask me what troubles you."

"I do not know if I am doing the right thing." He said automatically; Felicity knew he had been having these doubts for some time but had been unable to voice them to anyone, forced to put on a brave face."I do not believe the Telmarines will ever accept the Narnians if we do succeed, and I do not know if I can be a good King, worthy of the Narnians when they have had so many magnificent rulers."

Felicity gave a small smile at his choice of 'magnificent' and began to pace very slowly around the room, revelling in it for, though it was nothing like she was used to, it still felt to her like coming home.

"Why do you question yourself when you are backed by so many? You will be surprised by the amount of Telmarine's who would willingly accept the Narnians, and only you can make yourself a worthy King, though your belief that you are unworthy is an indication of the great King you can become." He looked like he wanted her to elaborate, to give him further guidance, but Felicity knew she was on a time limit; soon someone would walk through the open doorway, and for some reason she knew that no-one else could know she was here. "Next question."

"How do we defeat Miraz?"

"Look to your Professor for help. He is a learned man and knows of many previous battles; he knows what strategies small nations have used to defeat large ones."

Her head flicked to the doorway; she was sure she heard footsteps. What was she to do if someone did appear? Would Aslan pull her back? Or was she on her own?

"One final question." Caspian said suddenly, taking a few quick steps towards her as he heard footsteps too. "Why do you not return and help us?"

Her face was agony to look at as it became sadder than ever before. "I want to more than anything." She whispered before she disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared; Caspian tried to grab at the air where she had been, but as he had expected he grasped nothing but air.

"Who were you talking to?" Peter asked suspiciously as he appeared in Caspian's doorway.

"No-one." Caspian immediately replied, unable to meet Peter's eye.

"Now for your second task." Aslan rumbled. Felicity was back on the raft as though she had never moved and she looked up at him expectantly.

"Peter is flailing," He carried on, "his faith in not only me but in himself is fading. I know he will triumph with a simple reassurance from you." He gave Felicity no other explanation but instead shook his mane and it was as though fields, trees and sky rolled from him towards Felicity until she found she had materialised on short grass with a huge army of Telmarines in front of her. A small bundle of stone ruins was the focus of everyone's attention and she heard many exclamations of surprise behind her. She looked around quickly and scanned the faces of the Narnian army assembled behind her before recognising the golden hair of Peter and the chocolate hair of Edmund in the ruins in front of her.

"Peter!" She screamed desperately. She knew from her very brief encounter with Caspian that she would not have long with Peter and she was here for a reason; she could not waste their few precious moments on her desires.

Both figures whipped around at her urgent voice and she realised even from that distance how young they were. She'd never seen them so young and was now the same age as Peter whilst Edmund was a good 3 years younger. Edmund dropped the helmet he had been holding in surprise as she started to sprint towards the two and Peter ran towards her as well; his face stunned.

The ground between them was covered in moments and Felicity flung herself into his arms; unable to breathe properly from happiness. Their embrace was uncomfortable and painful for Felicity due to Peter's armour as he held her tighter than a teenager should be able to, but she ignored the pain. He swung her round and buried his head in her neck with his eyes shut in ecstasy as he finally embraced the woman he thought about every minute of every day. He put her down on the floor and she placed her fumbling hands on his cheeks and stared deep into his eyes.

"Don't lose faith, Peter." She said frantically, "don't lose faith," she repeated, fearful that he was too shocked by her appearance to pay attention to what she was saying. She was already fading; Peter's grip on her was no longer tight; despite him holding onto her so hard he knew he must be leaving bruises. He shook his head gently at her desperately as his eyes pleaded with her not to leave him.

"No." He whispered gently, his heartbeat quickening even more at the thought of her disappearing so soon after she'd appeared.

"I believe in you." She managed to whisper before she vanished completely.

"No!" Peter bellowed as his hands finally grasped at nothing. His arms crashed together as he embraced nothing but air and he ran his hands through his hair, fighting back tears as he stood dejected, his heart breaking all over again.

After a few moments the roar of the two armies finally reached his ears again and he turned to fight Miraz; a new determined look on his face.

Felicity found herself back on the raft with Aslan still sitting in front of her.

"Did I succeed?" She whispered hopefully.

"Of course you did." Aslan replied, a teasing look in his big eyes. "But there is one more thing you must do before you return to your life." Instead of shaking his mane and making the fields roll out, Felicity heard a loud roar and instantly found herself in a wood as though she had been there all this time.

Focusing on her surroundings she realised she was sitting beside Aslan on the forest floor and Lucy threw herself at Felicity with a squeal of delight that sent them both rolling back in the leaves.

"I knew you'd come back!" Lucy exclaimed happily, younger than Felicity had ever seen her. "But where's Tommy?" She asked, craning her neck as though she expected him to be hiding in the trees somewhere.

Felicity's face fell slightly and she looked to Aslan for help, silently asking the question herself.

"He cannot help with what lies ahead of us." Aslan said quietly, looking deep into Lucy's eyes. Lucy swallowed and nodded, trying to smile.

Felicity hugged the young girl and the two stood up. "Get on my back." Aslan ordered and they did; Lucy in front holding on to Aslan's mane and Felicity behind with her arms around Lucy's waist.

He sprang forwards so suddenly that Felicity was reminded of a roller coaster, but even though the trees flashed by the girls at a speed only Lucy knew Aslan could reach, neither of the two were ever in danger of falling off.

"So, why am I here? What do I have to do?" Felicity asked Lucy.

"We're at war with the Telmarines. We're vastly outnumbered, so I guess you just need to do your thing." Lucy said, leaning back and smiling up at Felicity. "Does Tommy miss me?" She suddenly asked, unable to help herself. She felt ridiculous in the body of a young girl in Narnia; she was so used to her older body, the body she'd had when she'd married Tommy.

"So much so you wouldn't believe it." Felicity replied, trying to focus on one tree in an attempt to gage how fast they were moving. "Does Peter miss me?" She asked quickly in reply. Her few moments with Peter on the field had not been enough to placate her for the months without him and she couldn't rely on Caspian's personal opinion when she had seen the friction between the two of them.

"You have no idea." Lucy called over her shoulder as Aslan burst out of the forest into blinding daylight. He stopped abruptly and the two dismounted.

"This way!" Lucy said, pointing to a bridge that towered above clear blue water that Felicity recognised as a much-changed Beruna after a pause. Aslan looked Felicity in the eye and she suddenly knew exactly what she had to do. Hearing the thundering hoof beats of horses and the pounding steps of hundreds of men, she waited. The noise lessened until it was nothing but a heavy silence and Lucy stopped, drawing her dagger with an almost playful half smile.

Suddenly Aslan walked forwards and Felicity joined him until they stood beside Lucy with Felicity in the middle; for she was to be the feature in the display of Narnia's power. All of the opposing soldiers had dark hair like hers, but she was sure she saw a glint of gold on the other side that could be no-one but Peter's hair.

Aslan and Lucy both looked to Felicity expectantly and after a moment a man on a horse on the bridge let out a great cry and charged at them, the army following behind him. They were a quarter of the way over the bridge when Aslan let out a great roar, making them all stop in fear and suspicion.

Still in her dress from England, Felicity smiled and clenched her fists by her side, making the water in the river drain away, collecting in a great wave that approached at a terrifying speed.

She was rusty; having not used it for so long her power was much weaker than it had been before, and she could feel that the Narnian river was out of form too. Thinking of the God she had met in the clouds, she wondered if he still slept, if he had retreated into himself as the trees had done.

Suddenly she threw her hands above her head and the water reared above the approaching army, hanging suspended above them for a moment as soldiers threw themselves into the water with fear. She was weakening rapidly, but suddenly another source of power sluggishly helped her. The water took on the face of an old man who momentarily smiled at Felicity, but she saw through the appearance the God had taken and saw him as the young man she had seen many years ago.

To the Telmarine's it looked like she was controlling the water completely, and hundreds of soldiers were running back to land and taking their chances with the Narnians, focused mainly on getting away from the sorceress.

Seeing the cruel leader, Neptune picked up the bridge, breaking it off at either end and lifting it high into the air with only the figure on his horse remaining. He peered at him, and momentarily Felicity was able to see the Lord through Neptune's eyes, his vision distorted slightly by the water that fell of him.

Suddenly she pulled her arms down with force and the water collapsed forward into the Telmarine, making him disappear from the human eye.

The force of the water's fall made it splash everywhere, creating great waves that rolled past Felicity, Aslan and Lucy, washing away many and killing many of the Telmarines who had not escaped the water in time.

As it settled Felicity looked up and saw Peter, all the way on the other side of the river. He started to run towards her, wading as quickly as he could through the river and fighting against the current that had yet to calm. Making another fist the water around him bubbled, raising him out and propelling him forwards on a solid wave. He jumped onto the land and threw himself at Felicity, swinging her round and round in happiness. He was so overjoyed at seeing her again so soon that he focused on nothing but her, and after a moment the two fell into the river with a scream and a yell as he misplaced his foot.

Lucy laughed and Aslan smiled happily as the two emerged, laughing and gasping. They hugged again before finally kissing for the first time in over a year.

Felicity's heart felt so light she wasn't sure it was still there as she beamed happily up at Peter, the sunlight shinning of his wet hair.

"You did it. You won." She said, stroking his face just as she had done earlier. Her eyes roamed his face as she tried to memorise every detail yet again so that her memories of him would no longer have the slight blur around the edges.

"Because of you." He whispered back, unable to take his eyes off her face. She was younger; yet still the same.

Felicity suddenly remembered that he didn't know yet; only she and Tommy did.

"Peter, I lost the baby." She whispered quietly, looking into his eyes and searching for the sadness she knew would appear.

He was silent for a moment; he wasn't sure what exactly he'd expected. He'd lain awake at night, thinking of her in England and wondering what'd happened to her and the baby. "It doesn't matter." He said, grasping her waist in his hands. He gave a smile, it was as sad as she'd predicted, but it was still a smile. "We'll have another one when we're together again."

She nodded earnestly and he gave a happier smile. Even learning of the loss of his unborn child could not keep him sad right now.

"Now you are sad, my child." Aslan said quietly to Lucy as the Narnians still waded across the river.

"Seeing them makes me wish only more for Tommy." Lucy whispered, fighting back tears.

"You must remember that in England, Tommy is now 18, but you have returned to being 12. It is not right for you to embrace as Felicity and Peter do."

"Maybe Aslan, but that doesn't make me want to see him any less."

Aslan gave a great sigh. "For you then, dear heart." He breathed out and it was as though his breath fogged up an unseen panel of glass, much larger than any person.

After a moment Lucy could see him through it and Tommy walked to the glass with a happy smile. Lucy stepped slowly closer, knowing she couldn't touch him or speak to him, she'd only said to Aslan that she wished to see him.

Tommy raised a hand and rested his palm against the glass. Lucy did the same, holding hers over his and looked up into his face as he stood; chest, head and shoulders taller than her.

"Now come, dear heart. It is time for Felicity and Tommy to return to their world." Lucy stepped back, her heart much happier now that she had seen Tommy again. She knew that she could continue to function almost like a normal human being for a long time now, until she saw him again.

"Felicity." Tommy called out, suddenly able to be heard through the glass.

"It's time for me to go." Felicity said, stroking Peter's face one more time as she recognised Tommy's voice.

"Soon." Peter said as she stepped back from him and left his arms. "Promise me!"

"I promise.." She whispered as she climbed over the stones. Stepping through the glass she and Tommy clasped hands. Felicity soundlessly repeated the words to Peter as he stared after her before Aslan breathed over them and they disappeared.

Felicity woke up with a jolt, back on the train in Manchester with Tommy beside her.

"Oh shit, this is our stop! Get up!" Felicity said urgently to Tommy as she recognised their location.

The two stumbled off the train sluggishly, wishing to be back in Narnia.


End file.
